Caprice
by ElectraSev5n
Summary: Aang isn't there when Zuko comes to the South Pole and Azula takes a more direct interest in protecting her place as the heir apparent. These two facts set off a chain of events that changes everything. There's no going back. Estimated word total of about 160,000. Fem-Sokka centric story with plenty of interest in Zuko as well. Complete summary inside.
1. Chapter 1

Summary:

This is a pretty big project, planned out for four segments and an estimated word total of about 160,000, over a forth of which is written out and ready to be posted. It covers almost the entire storyline in a more adult fashion, including language, violence, and some sexytimes later on. This is proudly AU, and the main characters are quite a bit more intelligent and heroic. Essentially, this is a chance to re-interpret characters and situations who I felt were underdeveloped or underutilized in canon. FemSokka.

The premise for this story is totally borrowed from Babyuknowme13's totally awesome story First Firebender, wherein

A. Sokka is actually a girl.  
B. Sokka (heretofore known as 'Sukka') was the product of an assault by a southern raider (so sad, I know) and is in fact a firebender… living at the South Pole.

There is another note at the bottom, but that's less critical.

* * *

Sukka fumed silently, pacing up and down the path out of the village where she had last seen her sister. '_I can't believe she picked that boy over her family!'_

It was completely ridiculous- Katara had only known Aang for a day. And he hadn't exactly been impressive in that time. In a matter of hours, he had destroyed a piece of architecture that they didn't have the skills to repair anymore, and convinced Katara to disobey the very sensible edict of staying away from creepy abandoned Fire Nation weaponry. (This was just plain common sense, really). When that flare had been sent shooting into the sky, Sukka had known fear for the first time in a very long time. The older women had pointed and shouted, some crying. They remembered Fire Nation communication methods from the days when Southern Raiders would gather to hunt them, lurking somewhere off in the dark ocean at all times and coming by in force at the height of noon when waterbenders were weak. When they had come to the conclusion that it had been from the old iced ship, and not any new threat, a wave of relief had gone through the tribe.

Of course, that relief didn't make them any less angry that it had been set off in the first place. Sure, no Fire Nation troops were nearby at the time. But that signal had been designed to be seen from a very long distance away. There was a good chance that some other ship had seen it, and they might come to investigate. The Fire Nation had stayed away for so long that they quite probably didn't know where the villages were anymore- they moved around a bit, every few years. But that signal was enough to give their position away.

'_That might have even been his intention_,' Sukka grimly acknowledged_. 'He seems like a dumb little kid, but he could be a Fire Nation sympathizer.'_

He probably wasn't, but having someone who willfully went against tribal edicts and endangered the village was just as risky. Sukka didn't want to have to be the bad guy who scolded and upset her willful baby sister, but she knew how justice was distributed on the ice. People who wouldn't work for the good of the group could not be tolerated- they were a danger to everyone around them, and a burden besides. When the tribe barely escaped starvation every single winter, the price of luxury of mercy for non-contributing members became too high to pay.

'_He has to go,'_ Sukka had decided grimly after hearing from her elders. '_for the good of us all.'_

If he'd been an adult of the tribe, he would have been quietly pushed into the ice and never spoken of again. But as a child and a foreigner, it would probably be best to banish him. Aang would even be fine- he had that stupid flying snot-monster.

In the distance that evening, she had seen two small figures trudging their way to the village from the same vantage point she took now. She'd tapped her booted foot in the snow, impatient to get the lecture over with. The two children had been unrepentant- Katara had spewed some ridiculous garbage about needing to prove her bravery. It made Sukka see red.

"Bravery," she'd yelled, waving her arms to indicate the village, "Bravery doesn't mean you get to endanger every person who lives here! I can't believe you, Katara. You know better than this. You knew you weren't allowed there, and you knew why. You know what the Fire Nation does, and yet you risked drawing their attention to us, on account of some boy we don't really even know."

She'd glared at him from where he cowered behind her baby sister. "For all you know, he's a spy or a Fire Nation sympathizer and you played right into his hands by leading him to that iced ship."

Katara had laughed derisively, not even considering the notion. And when the village had gathered around and told Aang that he was banished, never to be seen in their village again, her eyes had watered with angry tears. With a huff, Sukka's ridiculous baby sister had grabbed onto an orange sleeve and picked a boy she'd just met over her family.

The strange boy had given a whistle, and his horrible, smelly animal had dropped from the sky. In a matter of moments, the two children had crawled up into the saddle while Sukka was frozen in shock and disbelief. By the time she regained her senses, and started to sprint towards them, they had taken off and were out of her reach. She'd screamed at the sky, and cursed Aang with every invective and wish for ill luck and misfortune that she knew while the other tribeswomen milled around the snow, aghast at the abandonment.

'_It isn't really that she picked __**him**__ over us,_' she corrected herself dully. '_She picked __**waterbending **__over us. She'd rather learn how to use magic water than do right by her tribe. He's just her ticket there.'_

The thought hurt, although she understood the burning need to practice her bending. Sukka felt that same draw to her element as well, even though the fire that shot from her hands frightened and repulsed her. She would have given anything to be more like Katara, whose bending could create beautiful and useful things instead of just destroy them. Even so, what Katara had chosen was wrong. Wrong, _wrong, __**wrong**_, especially so for a chief's daughter. None of the people in the village would ever follow her now.

That created problems, though she felt guilty for thinking of them at a time like now. Sukka couldn't inherit- she wasn't really Hakoda's child by blood, though he treated her as his own and had been the very picture of a loving father. It had always been an unspoken assumption that Katara would one day lead the Southern Water Tribe. She'd be lucky if they let her walk amongst them again. At fourteen, Katara was considered an adult- still in need of guidance, but a full-fledged woman in most regards. The betrayal of trust was a serious one, and she could no longer receive the sway that a child would.

Sukka blinked, suddenly unnerved by something, but she couldn't quite tell what. '_Something is wrong.'_ She spun on her heels, checking her surroundings carefully. She couldn't see anything- just the village, drifts, and… grey snow, fluttering down.

Her heart fell to the bottom of her belly, and she felt despair creeping over her skin like cold fingers.

* * *

_'I am going to kill Katara, if it turns out that she hasn't been kidnapped'_. It had been almost a full day, and her little sister had yet to return in apologetic tears. Sukka grimly re-adjusted her grip on her spear, feeling the fresh warpaint on her face harden. It was uncomfortable, but at least it kept the wind off, and it helped to make her look more intimidating and asexual. A sixteen year old boy looked like a young warrior- a sixteen year old girl looked like she was playing dress up in daddy's clothes.

Granted, it was probably optimism to hope she looked like a sixteen-year old boy. She was tall for a Water Tribe girl, but still far too short to pass for a boy her age when boys sprouted like weeds after 13. Maybe she could pass for a willowy fourteen.

She cursed (a habit Gran-Gran hated), considering taking off her gloves to get a better grip. If the fight was a short one, she'd be better off with the additional dexterity- but if it lasted more than a minute or two, her fingers would be frozen and clumsy. As the Fire Nation ship drew close to the ice, she took them off and stuffed them in her pockets. A fight with one half-trained girl against a shipful of soldiers was going to end quickly anyway.

She stifled the fear that rose in her chest at that thought- it was unproductive. She was the only warrior of the Southern Water tribe present, (even if she wasn't a real warrior yet) and the Chief's daughter. There was no option other than bravery.

Feeling a little sick, and her thoughts marching a hundred times their usual speed, Sukka was suddenly grateful that her sister had run off with that idiotic airbender boy. _('and she __**had**__ to have run off instead of gotten lost or something, there's no option other than believing my baby sister is safe, even if that means she's willfully disobedient, unrepentant, and irresponsible'_) If she were here, she'd have fought. She repressed a shudder at the thought of the Fire Nation knowing her baby sister was a waterbender. They'd take her away, like they did all the other water benders.

"What'll they do to a firebender, if they kill waterbenders?", she questioned quietly. No one was close enough to hear, anyway- which was a good thing, because that was about when the Fire Nation ship decided to make a dramatic entrance by bowling through their painstakingly constructed ice wall.

Sukka backed up with a yelp, struggling to keep upright and not lose hold on her weapon. She'd probably have to use firebending to fight, if it came to that, but it would be nice not to have to. Her dad and his men had claimed that she looked pretty good from what they remembered of firebenders in combat, but there really couldn't be any comparison between what she'd learned third-hand at age twelve on the directions of men who had only fought firebenders, and what someone taught by a master for years would be able to do.

The ship came to a stop with a horrible screeching sound. '_They probably damaged their hull against the ice. That was stupid of them.'_

She heard fearful whispering behind her- the tribe was gathered together in a huddle, further away than she was and behind the shelter of the huts. Sukka swallowed, considering telling them to run for it, even though she knew it was pointless- they wouldn't make it very far carrying children. She and Katara had been the fittest by far, which was why they'd struggled to provide for a village full of the elderly, invalids, young children who'd been born soon after the men left, and a few mothers too busy taking care of everyone else to hunt or fish or do more than some gathering.

'_What's going to happen to them if I die?'_ She steeled herself. '_Don't think like that. The tribe will survive. It always has.'_

A long, thin sheet of metal swiveled into view over the hull, then shot out and careened towards the ground, dislodging a spray of ice chips. Sukka gritted her teeth, and tried to calm her heartbeat. _'How threatening do I want to look? Do I want to try to talk first, or attack before they can get a word in? They're almost certainly not here to talk, but if they are and I start a fight, I'll have condemned everyone to death.'_

She closed her eyes for a long moment. '_I'll try to talk. Stand tall, look proud and capable, but not aggressive. I'm a warrior, not a cat-bear."_

The sharp sound of metal-clad feet tapping on the ramp reached her ears and she moved to the bottom, standing between the foreigners and her tribe. One man- he was slim and young looking with a high ponytail like a girl would wear, maybe not much older than she was- stood at the head of the group, followed by a trio of uniformed soldiers. '_He must be someone special…_'

She examined him more closely. As the young man raised his head, she caught sight of his face and tried not to recoil. '_Ayah! I've never seen a burn like that_.'

Not that she saw many burns, living at the South Pole, of course. Ice didn't burn, and fuel was expensive to import. Her flames had made the most of the little firewood they had, stretching out supplies that hadn't been renewed in years. The occasional traders that travelled this far south had last come a few months after the men left.

_'You're distracting yourself, Sukka. Pretending they aren't there won't make them disappear.'_

Sukka took a deep breath. "I speak for Chief Hakoda," she stated with a voice that sounded much calmer than she felt. "Why have you come here and destroyed a year's work on our wall? Have we broken faith with you?"

The wording was more traditional than heartfelt- maybe even a little ironic. Still, it was technically in good form.

His voice, when it came, was raspy and much lower than she expected. His wording, however, fit her rude expectations for Fire Nation savages. "Where is the Avatar?"

'_I didn't even get a greeting_,' she noted, before the words sank in.

Sukka blinked. Then she shook her head. He was looking right at her, clearly impatient. "What?" she croaked, certain that she'd misheard.

The man looked pissed. "I know that this village is harboring the Avatar!" he snapped. "Tell me where he is, and no one gets hurt." He moved to stride past her towards Gran-Gran and Sukka quickly sidestepped to stay between the two. He scoffed, and raised a hand to point. "He'd be about as old as that woman, and an airbender."

_'He thinks Gran-Gran is a hundred and twelve years old?'_ some small, indignant part of her brain registered.

The women started to murmur in the distance at the word 'airbender', and the boy who had played with Aang yesterday started to fidget. '_Don't say anything, kid_," she prayed.

Then she turned to face him and pitched her voice as low and steady as she could make it. "You are mistaken, Fire Nation. We have no such man here, if he even exists." Then her voice turned wry. "If you'd look, you might notice that we have a distinct shortage of men altogether. Until you came with a boat full of them, anyway."

She immediately cursed her own snarky tongue and bit it to keep from provoking him further. If he was looking for someone that wasn't here, then he could look around, kick over a few baskets in anger, and then leave them in peace. Pissing him off wouldn't help anything. Her body betrayed her with a sinking feeling of nervousness that belied her self-reassurances.

'_Don't be stupid_,' she chided herself. '_Aang is like, twelve. He can't be the Avatar, even if he is an airbender… who didn't know that Sozin killed the airbenders a hunded years ago_.'

Her stomach roiled with fear now, for her sister and her village. '_Who am I kidding… There's a very good chance Katara is running around with a very dangerous person. Who is hunted by the Fire Nation_.'

Then she paid closer attention to the real world, more specifically the angry young man quickly invading her personal space, actually breathing a little bit of steam. A thrill of fear ran up her chest, and she twitched cold fingers tighter around her weapon.

"Don't play games!" The boy was right in her face, yelling. She recoiled. He moved to grab the front of her coat- and Sukka panicked, reflexively knocking him back with the butte of her weapon and quick-stepping backwards. '**_Stupid_**_! He wasn't going to grope you, he just wanted to look threatening!_' The boy outright roared with anger, and the soldiers made their first move off the ramp.

"Oh, shit", she croaked. In the distance, she heard a woman scream and Gran-Gran shout "Language!" (which was a surreal bit of normality in a fight for her life). Then the village was far from her mind as she dodged flaming fists and fast-moving feet. He caught her weapon with a strength that sent a jarring pain up her arm- _'is this guy even human_? _He is insanely strong_.' The boy ripped it out of her grip, and suddenly her best method for ameliorating the disadvantage of her short limbs was gone. The soldiers were watching cautiously now, as she ducked and wove around fire. One blast moved close to her face –'too close!' – and she automatically pushed it away with a flame of her own. Then she heard a chorus of gasps from the watching soldiers, and realized what she'd done. The boy attacking widened his undamaged eye in disbelief, though the other was frozen in an angry expression.

"You… You're a firebender?" He sounded strangely betrayed. "Traitor!" He attacked with a new anger. She was having a ridiculously hard time keeping up, her amateur blasts less focused and exact than his and growing weaker, but her only method of deflecting flames. '_I was definitely right about third-hand katas not being able to compete with the real thing_.' She caught a blow against her forearm and nearly cried out with pain- she couldn't even tell if it was the force of the blow or the heat behind it, but she needed to end this quickly. She couldn't win if she fought the way he did. She had to be cleverer.

"Have you no honor? Why would you fight for these savages?" She was having trouble even breathing- the fire sucked up all the air, and her gasps were unproductive. She'd never managed to do much bending without carefully modulating her breathing. Her heart beat pounded- **failure, failure**. '_Okay, fine. No more bending… back to weaponry._' It was a good strategy for her anyways, against much larger opponents. Her spear was out of her reach on the snow- he'd been driving her backwards, and she hadn't even noticed. She could have perhaps made a run for it, but that would have no element of surprise, and he could just tear it away again.

"I am no traitor!" she shouted indignantly in the hopes it'd distract him, but with less power in her voice than she'd have liked. "I was born here, first child of Chief Hakoda." She whirled forward and kicked snow up into his eyes and jammed her secondary weapon into his gut, (a boomerang that had been hidden under her coat) then watched the ugly look on his face as he fell to his knees, trying to breathe. She heard clanging metal around her as the soldiers rushed in, but she leaned forward calmly to impart her last point.

"I'm one of these savages, thank you very much." Then she spat into the snow beside him and raised her hands unthreateningly. A soldier grabbed at her wrists anyways and wrenched her to the ground, shoving a boot into her back. She gasped in pain, bending forward until her hair pooled into the snow. She heard a wail from the village and her blood ran cold.

"Stay back," she forced out through the pain and spots in her vision. "Gran-Gran, keep them back!" She heard rustling and soft crying, staring into the snow as she tried to catch her breath.

"Look at me." Then a gloved hand grabbed her chin and yanked her face up. She was staring into eyes the color of gold- like sunlight on still waters. '_If the guy attached weren't such a jerk, they'd be remarkable eyes'_, she noted dazedly. She'd never seen such exotic eyes- even she had the water tribe blue coloring. Later, she would attribute this strange thought to oxygen deprivation.

"Are there any other benders in this village?" His voice was calm now, but no less dangerous. He shook her lightly. "Are there?"

"There were," she wheezed. Then she bit her tongue. Stupid, stupid! Even if she were going to give up Aang, who she had little love for, she'd just implied that there was more than one bender. The boy's eyes widened and he drew closer. She could feel his breath on her face where her paint was thin. He grabbed her shoulders. "Tell me" he commanded. His breath came quick now in excitement. Bitterly, she noted that he hadn't even worked up a sweat during their fight, while she was laid out with her pulse jumping.

Sukka grimaced. "I wouldn't tell you anything, Fire Nation."

The boy wrenched backwards, hypnotic aura gone and anger present again. "Fine!" he snapped. "Marines! Search the homes. Don't kill anyone. Bring any one who resists to me." Then he strode off, towards the group of frightened villagers.

"No!" Sukka shouted and struggled. It didn't do any good- the man holding her was much stronger than she was. He was big, like her father. She turned her face down and wept. '_If dad were here, this wouldn't happen.' _She felt shame burn her face red and was thankful for her paint. '_I've failed my village.'_

Minutes passed, but they felt like hours. Her fingers began to tingle with pain- she should have left her gloves on. She tried to wiggle them as much as possible, but they were in a tight grip. The soldiers with masks like death tromped in and out of their round homes. She heard the sound of things breaking, falling, and indignant yelps. In the distance, she heard the scarred boy talking to her friends and family, probably threatening and frightening them. She couldn't understand his words, but she heard a little boy's high pitched voice telling him that "the boy who bent air was banished."

She cursed the Fire Nation, even as the soldier holding her loosened his grip in surprise at confirmation that there had been an airbender, who were thought long-dead. She took advantage of the moment of shock and dropped to the ground out of his grip, rolling and kicking out with both feet. She caught him on the shins, and the force cut his feet out from under him. The man fell to the snow with a dreadful clang and she leapt to her feet.

"Alright, you know what you wanted! There was a boy here, in saffron and yellow. He was strange, he was an airbender, and he was banished for setting off a trap in an abandoned fire nation ship in the ice fields." Her voice was hoarse with fear for her fellow villagers, who were easily within range of that boy's fire blasts. "Let them go, they haven't done anything!"

The scarred boy turned to face her, face twisted in confusion. "What do you mean a boy," he demanded. "The avatar would be old by now!"

"I don't know anything about an Avatar," she cried out in frustration. "He was twelve, maybe. We found him in the ice. He… He didn't know about the war, or that the airbenders were supposed to be dead. Is that what you want to know?"

A hundred thoughts passed over the boy's face, and he raised a hand up to stop the soldiers who had rushed back to keep her away from him. "Return to the ship," he commanded. Sukka could have wept in relief, until his next statement. "Take the firebender. We can't leave a bender with our enemies."

Her breath caught, and she looked at the village. It was a mess- collapsed walls, fallen supplies, and the people she'd been entrusted to protect were cowering and crying. So far, the damage was mostly superficial. With a few days labor, and a bit of squeezing into undamaged homes to fight off the cold, everyone would be fine. The Fire Nation boy was willing to leave without doing anymore damage… If she refused, they'd fight, and she would be overpowered. They would do more damage to her home. She swallowed. All this crossed her mind in an instant, and then she bowed her head in surrender. "I'll go, if you don't harm anyone else."

_'Katara, you'd better get home and help Gran-Gran, or everyone is going to starve this winter._'

The boy snorted. "Fine." Then someone grabbed her from behind and forced her to walk. She held her head high this time, knowing that her fellow villagers were watching her. From behind, a cry rose up. '_Gran-Gran, don't fight them_,' she prayed. But it wasn't just Gran-Gran… all the women were wailing. A sense of wonder rose up in her chest- '_That's for me? They're weeping for me?_' She swallowed hard, feeling more loved, more Water Tribe than ever before.

* * *

The feeling of Water Tribe pride sustained her as she was led up and seated on the deck in an out-of-the-way corner with a guard, and when her hands were secured behind her back with cold chains like she was an animal. It failed her when she struggled to lift her head from her position on her knees, fighting the heavy hand on her neck in order to see her home one last time. It looked strange from inside the ship, a higher point than she'd ever seen it from before.

Sukka felt sick with grief, but she was so relieved her baby sister wasn't there to see this happen. She would have fought and been exposed as a waterbender.

While the soldiers boarded the ship and bustled around, shouting orders and getting ready to take off, she carefully modulated her breathing, just focusing on the moment. The jerking motion that indicated they were sliding off the ice nearly knocked her over where she knelt on the deck, and the motion pulled painfully at the cold metal around her wrists. The chains were heavy, and so cold that they bit into her skin in only a few minutes. She felt cold welts rising… and then heard steps slowing approaching her in the bustle of movement. She was too numb to care or look up.

"Who is this, nephew?" A cheerful voice called out. Then, more softly, it continued, "Hello, my dear. I must admit, you are not the guest I was expecting."

Appalled and confused by the cheer she heard, Sukka raised her head to stare disbelievingly at the short man she'd heard speak. He was not a fit man, but he had a kindly face, lined with age and a smile. '_He looks like somebody's grandfather_,' she noted. '_Not like a Fire Nation savage'_. Then she remembered that the boy had called **her** people savages, and she forced down a snort. '_The world is backwards. There's an elder on a ship of soldiers, and they think we're the savages. Funny._' She gritted her teeth and looked away, uninterested in being lulled into pleasantries.

"Oh, how rude of me!" the man exclaimed. "I have not introduced myself. Prince Zuko, would you like to get changed for tea in my quarters? You can introduce me to your friend."

"He's not my friend," the scarred boy growled from somewhere above her head, where he'd been menacing a man with a map. "Uncle, this boy is a **firebender**." Then his tone changed, to something hopeful and slightly awed. "The villagers claim that there was an airbender here, as recently as yesterday when we saw that signal flare. This boy knew about him, and likely has more information."

Sukka sensed surprise in the old man's expression, and he looked interestedly at her. He didn't speak to her, though. Instead, he directed his comments to the ship as a whole. "How fascinating!" He clapped his hands together. "All the more reason to sit down to some nice, hot ginseng. I would love to hear about this adventure. Good job, all of you!" Then he happily turned away, moving with surprising speed and grace for such an elderly person through the crowd of bustling soldiers.

'_That person is more than what he looks,_' her intuition warned. The soldiers gave him a far more respectful berth than they did the angry boy. There were only a few things men responded to better than fear, and she didn't particularly want to face an enemy with those qualities.

"Come on," a voice echoed from inside one of those horrid helmets, and a large hand yanked at her arm. "Let's get this paint off you. You're going to tea with royalty, boy."

Sukka grit her teeth and swallowed an indignant reply as she was dragged along like so much luggage. She was the daughter of a chief. She didn't need to bow before any foreign royalty. And she certainly wasn't a boy. She gave real consideration to telling them that- was there any point in keeping up that particular façade? Undecided, she kept quiet. Until the soldier bothering her dumped a cloth in a rain barrel and then roughly brought it up to her face.

She let out an involuntary yelp, outright pained by the cold. The man gave her an odd look, but didn't say anything, and she bit her lip, angry with herself for breaking her warrior stoicism.

It took a few swipes, but she could feel the greasepaint sliding off her face, and the wind hit her face again. It outright burned with cold- she was used to the biting wind, but not when her skin was wet. Sukka shook like a wet kitten. She didn't have the thicker skin or adjusted metabolism her little sister did- for Water Tribe, Sukka was surprisingly unused to the cold. She might have complained back home, but here she kept bitterly quiet as tears of pain mingled with the water on her face and her eyes probably reddened.

A warm hand grabbed at her chin and lifted her face to examine the work he'd done, and a man's voice made a surprised oath. "Agni, you're a little girl, aren't you?" She glared, both at the diminutive and the incredulous tone. "What, Fire Nation kidnaps boys but not girls," she snapped, making it more of an insult than a question.

The man fidgeted uncomfortably for a moment, then grabbed her arm again and dragged her below deck, then down a hall. He rapped his knuckles perfunctorily at the door, and then swung it open at the cheery, "Come in!" that he received.

"The prisoner, sirs," The soldier said with stiff formality, letting go of her to bow. She rolled her shoulder absentmindedly in a feeble attempt to distract from the pain on her arm from being restrained multiple times and the discomfort of being bound.

"Dismissed. You, come sit." The boy from before snapped, glaring angrily at a tea set. He was out of his red armor, in fine silks lined with gold now. Sukka raised a brow- he looked far smaller in normal clothes. Like he could he her age- sixteen, instead of the nineteen she had guessed.

With a heavy heart, she made her way to the empty cushion across from the two males and folded herself to the ground gracefully, thankful for her good balance. She would have looked terribly stupid if she'd fallen and been unable to right herself. The old man gave her an amiable smile that was edged with amusement. '_He knew I was a girl,_' she surmised. Then she realized that the amusement implied that the joke was on the angry boy- the prince, apparently. The old man was keeping an eye on his prince, clearly eager to capture his reaction. He wasn't disappointed.

The Prince looked over in her direction, his face fixed in a scowl, and his mouth open to speak. An undignified yelping noise came out instead, and his deep, raspy voice broke as he struggled to his feet, pointing at her. "That- that's a girl!" He swiveled to look at the old man, clearly panicking to convey this information. "Uncle, that's a girl!"

'_Uncle_?' she wondered. '_That means he's important too. What are a couple of nobles doing in the South pole?'_

Outwardly, Sukka regarded him with cold disdain. "Why, are you scared of girls?" she snapped.

The boy flushed. "I- of course not!" He dropped to a seated position again, scowling. "I just couldn't tell, under those hideous furs," he snarked.

Sukka raised an eyebrow. "Next time I'll wear a dress for you," she drawled sarcastically. "I feel all sorts of underdressed next to you, princess." She wasn't entirely joking about being dressed inappropriately- she was absolutely suffering from the heat inside this cabin. Sukka had always been fond of warmth, but warmth on the tundra was very different from warmth inside a Fire Nation ship, apparently. It was almost funny how quickly she'd gone from wet and cold to over-heated. The Fire Nation really knew how to heat a ship, apparently.

Her jab at his wardrobe hit home, and the prince's jaw dropped. He opened his mouth angrily- but the old man beside him gave a chuckle. "Now, now, young lady," he gently chided. "That was rude. But Prince Zuko, you should take a joke better. It was funny!" He reached out and poured a cup of tea- and Sukka winced. He wasn't really _her_ elder, but it still felt very wrong to sit and let an elder pour while she had two perfectly good hands. Two sets of sharp eyes caught her recoil, but only the old man smiled indulgently, as if to say it was quite all right.

"You should untie the young lady," he noted in a singsong tone that implied he was talking about unusually pleasant weather. "How will she drink her tea, with her hands behind her back?"

Sukka stiffened. '_I don't really want that guy behind me where I can't see him_', she thought miserably. _'Not that it really matters_. _He's a much better bender than I am. If he wanted me dead, I would be_.' He didn't look any happier than she felt as he rose to kneel behind her, and she felt a slight tugging on her hands, and the chain slipping around and bumping into her legs before he pulled it away and set it down out of her reach.

'_Shame, that would have made a decent weapon in a pinch.'_

"Now that Prince Zuko has ascertained that you are a young lady- and such a beautiful young lady, too- I must ask your forgiveness, for my rudeness. I am Iroh." He regarded her with a calm good cheer that made her want to reply politely.

For a moment, she struggled with her lingering hostility and her good manners. There wasn't really any point to pretending to be someone else. The Fire Nation didn't respect foreign nobility- they wouldn't care that she was Hakoda's daughter.

"I am Sukka, first daughter of Hakoda and Kya, elder." She bowed her head perfunctorily, not wanting to overly honor him. He was an elder, yes, but he wasn't one of _her_ elders.

"Such a pretty name," he commented. His eyes were much sharper than his smile. "How did a firebender come to be born in the Southern Water Tribe?"

Rage bubbled up in her gut. She'd expected it, but she still didn't want to answer. She had never really had to explain herself- the adults all knew, long before she was old enough to know why she was different. It wasn't their business! It wasn't her fault!

"Answer him," the prince snapped.

She glared at him. He had no right to order him around… and she said so. "You're not my prince," she snarked. "If you can't be polite, I don't have to talk to you, and I certainly don't have to jump when you bark at me." The 'you dog' was left unspoken, but it still echoed loudly around the closed cabin.

He looked outright shocked, and then a little embarrassed. He turned his head quickly, and the candles lighting the room whooshed up. The old man cut in conciliatorily, waving his hand a little frantically. "Forgive my nephew for his sharp tone! He has a bit of a temper."

_'I'll say,_' Sukka noted dryly. The boy was positively steaming. Then she glanced back at the old man, who looked calm as ever.

Iroh hmm'd and stroked at his long beard thoughtfully, gazing into thin air.

'_What a weird old guy,_' Sukka thought. '_He should be mad at me for avoiding answering_.'

"But please, my dear, forgive an old man his curiosity. I really do wonder at your curious situation."

'_Ah, there it is_.' Sukka bowed her head in momentary defeat. '_There's no point. Lying will make them think it's a bigger secret than it is. Paranoid jerks_.' Immediately she felt guilty for calling the old man a jerk, even in her head. Which was ridiculous- he was Fire Nation! And, you know, complicit in her kidnapping.

She rubbed at the painful welts where metal had dug into her wrists thoughtfully, gathering her thoughts. Unnoticed by her, four golden eyes caught the movement and catalogued it for later. Bitterly, she started, "there's not much to tell. A Fire Nation raider raped my mother and she got pregnant from it. He didn't make it out- my village wasn't always empty of warriors." She bared her teeth at the boy in a mockery of a smile, rubbing in the point that he'd assaulted a village of non-combatant women and their children. "Hakoda raised his wife's child as his own. I'm as much Water Tribe as anyone else."

The prince snorted. "Who are you trying to convince here?"

She saw red. Sukka only realized she'd moved after her palm had met his cheek, but she merely picked up her hot tea and took a sip. Then another- it was good, and her belly was empty. Across from her, the prince stared in wide-eyed shock, one hand absently covering his stinging cheek.

"Prince Zuko, I am ashamed!" Sukka glanced at the old man, surprised. For a moment there was steel in his tones. "That was uncalled for." He turned to look at her again. "I am sorry my dear, that must be an unpleasant tale to tell."

A lump rose in her throat. Zuko's comment wouldn't have hurt if it had been unwarranted. She'd always felt a distance between herself and the other villagers, except Katara and Gran-Gran. _And now she'd never see them again_. She bowed her head to hide her expression, furious with herself for having so little control over her own emotions. She'd never needed to practice stoicism before- the villagers had given her enough distance that hiding her emotions was easy.

'_They had good reason,_' her traitorous mind reminded her. '_You could have hurt someone with fire. You're half a monster.'_

An awkward silence reigned. Prince Zuko looked ashamed, clenching his hands tightly in front of his body and waiting for the other two to finish their tea. He'd poured his cup down his throat and rose a hand to refuse another serving. Sukka noticed the slightly pained look on Iroh's face and wanted to slap the rude boy again (he'd definitely been downgraded from a young man to a boy) until he had some manners. '_At least he has some shame'_, she noted acidly. '_He's a rude brute, but he at least knows to recognize some crossed lines.' _

She should have hurried, but Sukka savored her drink instead, feeling the heat slide all the way to her tummy. "This is excellent," she commented archly, trying to keep the tone light.

Iroh beamed. "Why, thank you my dear!" Zuko groaned, and began to mouth the next words. "I brewed it myself! I have some small skill with tea, if I do say so myself." Sukka hid an inappropriate grin- it was kind of cute. "Would you like some more?" He reached towards the pot.

"Oh no," she burst out, snatching it instead. "I can't have you pour for me." The older man smiled indulgently at her. She filled Iroh's when he held it out, and then her own. Before she could set it down, she was interrupted.

Zuko growled. "What, are you too good to drink tea he poured?"

She looked at him like he was an idiot. "I suppose I don't know how it's done in Fire Nation, but back home a fit young man would never let an elder wait on him hand and foot."

Zuko's good eye widened, and red crept up his neck. "Give me that!" He snatched the teapot out of her hands and held it awkwardly. The gesture would have been better if Iroh had needed tea, but at least he tried. She mused, '_He's rude, but not __**all**__ bad, I guess_.'

"Why did you start a fight?" Zuko demanded. "You can't have thought you could win." Iroh looked interested- he must have been watching from the ship.

Sukka's face burnt. "Uh, yeah. That." There was a beat of silence.

They waited, apparently not accepting that as an answer.

She coughed uncomfortably. "You… you moved like you were going to grab the front of my coat… It was kind of reflexive to smack you, yeah."

There was a long moment of silence.

"Oh," Zuko managed, looking like he wanted to sink through the floor and escape into the ocean to go live with the seal-turtles instead of participate in this conversation any longer.

Iroh burst out into laugher. "Oh, nephew," he chided with a shaking finger, "Don't you know anything about dealing with a young lady? Save that for the second date, at least!"

"Or for a girl whose home you haven't ransacked," she added spitefully. "Probably one you haven't kidnapped, either." She paused deliberately. "I guess you really _don't_ know much about girls, huh."

"You're not a girl," he snapped. "You're Water tribe."

"That's not what you squeaked out earlier," Sukka taunted. "I am so a girl- a pretty one, according to your uncle. Are you claiming your uncle is a liar, princess?" Even as she said it, Sukka knew it was a Bad Idea to mock her captor.

_'Dear La, he's going to kill me for that. Why do I have to be __**so funny**__ all the time?'_

Zuko growled, which was downright undignified for a prince. Luckily, Iroh cut in before things descended into hair-pulling.

"So, my nephew mentioned that there was an airbender in your village!" He waited for a response, then prompted her again. "Was he really a young boy?" He shot a strange look at his nephew when he said this.

"I agreed to come so you'd leave my people alone, not so that I could give you information," she gritted out between her teeth. "Do your own dirty work."

'_Oh, this heat is unbearable.'_ Sukka felt dizzy, more so than angry. Going from comfortable to cold to hot was wreaking havoc on her body. Apparently it wasn't obvious, because her captors's expressions were normal- placid in one case, and angry in the other.

"Why, you-"

"Zuko, please." Iroh stared at her with a calmness that suddenly frightened her. Sukka repressed a shudder, remembering her earlier premonition that the old man was dangerous. They were in control here. "If the lady doesn't want to talk about that, we only attempt to persuade her later. For now, perhaps we should determine what is to be done with her? You were probably right to take her with you, Prince Zuko- the Southern Water Tribe isn't supposed to have any benders anymore."

Sukka's fist tightened with rage at the casual reference to her mother's murder, and breathing became a bit harder. The old man clearly caught the reaction, but chose not to comment. She wryly assumed he'd bother her about it later. '_Thinking is really hard right now. How do they live like this?_' She glanced at the captors. '_Ah_.' They were both in light, silk clothing, whereas she was wearing a parka and furs.

"Well?" He took a sip. The old man seemed more like he was waiting for a student's answer in a lesson than deciding a girl's fate.

Zuko tightened his hands in his lap. "Policy for foreign benders is that she should be returned to the appropriate prison facility in the Fire Nation." He frowned. "That's impractical, for multiple reasons, not the least of which being that such facilities aren't intended to hold firebenders."

Sukka shifted uncomfortably, and pulled at her collar.

"The policy for firebenders born from mixed relations is that they are returned to the nearest occupied territory and sent into the orphanage system."

She glanced over at him, startled. "People do that," she blurted out, "people just give up their children? That's horrific!"

Zuko looked at her, clearly confused. "You're a firebender," he said much in the manner that Katara used on slow children. "You belong in the Fire Nation." He scoffed, crossing his arms. "Clearly, she's a little old to be properly educated and adopted out. She'll never realize where she belongs."

She raised her voice in anger. "Where I **belong**, is my home. Where you took me from!" She set her cup down as gently as she could- it clanked. Her hands were shaking with anger. "Why did you force me to come, if you didn't know what you were going to do to me! Are you stupid? What's the point? Did you just want my people to starve?"

He jerked, startled. "I didn't-"

"What did you think was going to happen to them," she continued brutally. He needed to face what he'd done. "You saw them- elders, children, and mothers! Who do you think fished and hunted to keep them alive? Do you think any of them have ever held a spear?"

"That is quite enough," Iroh said quietly. "Zuko, we shall discuss this later. Where are you going to put her for the night? I hardly feel the cell prepared for the Avatar is an appropriate accommodation for a young lady, much less the daughter of a chief."

Sukka narrowed her eyes. "I don't need your consideration." She stood up, impatiently. "If you're quite done pretending you think I'm a human being, I'd like to be alone. The cell is fine."

"If you really feel that way, we can re-evaluate your situation in the morning. For now, I think it is time that we all go to bed." Iroh stood and walked over to open the door, but Zuko lingered behind. "I think perhaps we shall meet tomorrow for breakfast. Prince Zuko, would you humor an old man and come discuss our next course before you retire for the night?"

* * *

The cell was not fine. She had been exaggerating when she claimed they thought she was subhuman, but this cell certainly implied they thought that way about the Avatar. She tried not to think about poor, childish Aang in this box. It was four metal walls, with metal ceiling and flooring and no cot or furniture, other than ugly chains secured to the wall. Thankfully, they didn't use those on her. Her hands had been bound behind her back with chain again. The masked soldier who did it had an apologetic air about them, and murmured something about how they would have been rope, but firebenders could burn that, and there was a risk a skilled bender could escape the cell.

The information was interesting, but Sukka's eyes widened at the voice- "You're a woman", she blurted out.

She heard a snort in response. "You're hardly one to talk," came the reply.

Sukka shook her head impatiently. "No, it's not that. I'm like stupidly hot in this coat. Can you help me get it off?" She gave a barking laugh. "Only, I'm not exactly wearing much under it. I'd dressed to be able to move in a fight. I thought I was going to spontaneously combust during tea. Gave real thought to stripping despite the mixed company." 'Not much' was a bit of an understatement- she was only in her breastband under the coat, although she was wearing her usual pants. They were hot too, of course, but not nearly so insufferably so.

Outside her cell, she heard a sound like choking, and then steps quickly receding back down the hallway.

She gave a wry grin and ignored the sounds of an ignoble retreat. "I was anticipating either dying or being home, not ending up under your generous hospitality". She gave a mocking shrug at the sparse accommodations.

The woman soldier snickered. "Ah. Well then. I think we can work something out, though I didn't exactly bring my finest ballgowns aboard either."

* * *

Zuko beat a quick retreat away from the girl prisoner. He'd wanted to check on her, but definitely not badly enough to see her in a state of undress. His face burnt, and he tried to maintain quiet dignity.

There was no use- as soon as Uncle Iroh saw him stride into his cabin, he had to ask.

"Prince Zuko, how is our friend settling in," he boomed, eying Zuko's flushed countenance with amusement.

'_It's like the old man knows __**everything**_,' he fumed.

"She's fine," Zuko snapped, wanting to leave the topic quickly. "Lieutenant Natsumi is taking care of her. We have more important things to discuss. She's strangely reluctant to talk about this person, isn't she? Back at the village, she mentioned that 'we' found him- implying that someone else was involved, but never specified who the other person or persons were."

He began to pace, talking as he thought. "She said- said that he was found in the ice fields, and that he didn't know the airbenders were gone. How could that be possible? Could he have been frozen for a hundred years, like those awful frogs?"

Iroh gave a silly smile from his seat on an orange cushion. "The young lady said he was in the ice fields?", he questioned.

"Yes, I already said that."

Iroh ignored the crabby tone. "Nephew, she implied that the people you saw were incapable of going out fishing, which is the only thing I can imagine doing out in the ice fields." He paused meaning fully.

Zuko continued slowly, "But she also implied that she wasn't the only one to find him, which means that when the Avatar left, he didn't do so alone. This other physically capable person we didn't see left with him. A teacher, perhaps?"

"We don't know that this boy is the Avatar," Iroh corrected gently. "But yes. We can assume that he did not leave alone. Did she say anything about when he left, or why?"

Zuko bit his lip in thought, treating this like another history recitation. "I don't think she actually said much…" he said slowly. "She only spoke up after a little boy did, and he said that the airbender was banished just yesterday." He made a noise of comprehension. "Oh, he set off that flare we saw! They must have been angry with him for drawing attention, or thought he might be a spy of some sort." He snorted, amused. "I suppose they were right to be angry, since that flare led us to them."

Iroh chortled. "Life is amusing, sometimes. How fortuitous for us… and how much less so for them." He stole a look at his nephew, who seemed anything but amused. He looked like an uncomfortable little boy. Iroh half expected him to drag his toe through the dirt and fidget.

"Uncle… Do you think she was telling the truth? I mean, they'll be fine without her, right?"

Iroh sighed, feeling even older than his years. "I would not know, Prince Zuko," he said gently. "I have studied the Water Tribes, this is true. But I cannot claim to know what supplies they might have for the winter, or who would be capable of supporting the group." He stopped, suddenly curious. "Prince Zuko, were there really no men there?"

Zuko shook his head. "Nowhere," he frowned. "They can't all be dead, right?"

"She talked like Hakoda was still alive, otherwise she would have claimed to be Chief." Iroh pointed out. "I wonder… Oh!" He gave a chuckle. Zuko looked at him strangely and sighed in frustration.

'_Uncle is so odd.'_

"What exactly is so amusing, Uncle?", he asked, the perfect picture of a long-suffering relative.

"Oh, nephew. We have been harried for _three years_ by a small group of ships bearing the markings of the Northern water tribe. I have long thought that strange- they have stayed out of the war in all other ways." He chuckled again. "Now it makes sense!"

"They're framing their sister tribe?"

'_That's rather clever, actually. Like something Azula would do._' His jaw clenched painfully. _'Don't think of her.'_

"They're trying to force the stronger tribe to get involved, as well as keeping retribution from falling upon their unguarded kin", Uncle correctly gently. "If they were depending upon one untrained girl, they were desperate indeed."

He paused. "On another note, that likely means that the person who went with our mysterious airbender friend was also female. The Water Tribes are somewhat conservative in their attitudes about men and women. If there had been a fit, young man here, the young lady would not have been trained in combat. That is a last resort measure from such a people."

"Right," Zuko said tightly, ignoring the discomfort in his throat at the thought that his victory had been against one little girl who he'd thought to be a short boy. It didn't seem so impressive now, to have swept into the heart of a foreign power and taken their only bender from the clutches of her crying grandmother. And _Agni_, that had been strange. The women had let out this horrible wail when they'd realized that he was taking the girl…

He shook his head. '_There was nothing else I could do. And besides, she'll lead me to the Avatar, and then I'll have my honor again._'

Zuko clenched his fist, torn with indecision and frustrated. He hadn't meant to harm the savages- really, he hadn't! He'd given the Marines careful orders not to harm anyone, a task made easier by the way that they cowered, almost like they were afraid to hide in the tents.

"We… We can't take her back.", Zuko said, trying to convince himself more than anything.

Iroh sighed. "Indeed, we cannot, Prince Zuko. It would be most unwise to leave a firebender in enemy hands, untrained or not. And against Military policy, besides!" He coughed lightly. "In addition to that, there is the fact that we would lose a valuable source of information about our potential target. It does seem like this supposed airbender is the best lead we've had by far, if we are to trust the Water Tribe's assessment that he is such a thing."

Zuko rolled his eyes at this delicate understatement. "It's been our only lead. If he's really just a kid, he can't be the Avatar. But his existence implies that Sozin missed a few airbenders in hiding somewhere. That must be where the Avatar has been hiding all this time!"

"That is a rather large assumption, Prince Zuko. We cannot be certain of anything until we have spoken with this young man. Be that as it may, our water tribe friend looks to be quite the resource, if we can handle her correctly." Iroh shot him a mischievous look. "A good-looking young man like yourself could certainly charm the young lady, hmmm?"

"I'm not flirting with her, Uncle! Not for information or for your amusement." Zuko fumed, feeling flames spurt off his hands. He sighed, suddenly feeling tired. "I guess I thought I could threaten to go back and ask her villagers for more information… But that plan would only work if we stayed nearby. We can't linger here forever, we're getting low on supplies. Besides, I don't actually want to frighten them too badly." He sat down with a thump and put his head in his hands. "I'm so close I can _feel it_, Uncle. But she won't help me." Frustration tore at his throat.

"Have heart, Prince Zuko," Iroh said quietly, rubbing his back soothingly. Zuko arched like an affronted cat, then relaxed into the gesture, too tired to protest that he wasn't a child. "She is not an unreasonable girl, and not nearly as careful with her words as you and I are clever, hmm?"

A smile tugged at his lips. "True," he acknowledged. "She probably doesn't even realize what she's given away. I bet the person who left with the airbender is the key, and I bet you can get her to talk about it." Reluctant admiration was in his voice when he bemoaned that, "You could talk an earthbender into buying dirt. I bet you can make friend with one girl." He shot a scolding look at his uncle. "You can't go ten feet without making a friend onshore. If I'd taken you into that village, you'd still be sitting there playing games and flirting with her grandmother, I bet."

Iroh gave a booming laugh, wiping tears from his eyes. "Oh nephew, you wound me. Am I truly so terrible?"

"Yes," Zuko said flatly. He changed the subject before the old man's faux-wounded expression could get to him. "I suggest we set course for a neutral port where we can make repairs. If we have the information we need, we can leave the girl there. She shouldn't be harmed, and if we go very far, she won't make her way back to hostile territory to act against us. If she turns out to be a problem, we can take her to an occupied territory instead and send her straight to their jail so no one has to pay for our mercy." He turned on his heel.

"That makes quite a bit of sense." Iroh dipped his head obligingly as the room emptied. '_Ah, my nephew_.' He stifled a smile. Perhaps spending some time with someone he'd been raised to think of as a savage would lead Zuko to wonder about the validity of other teachings. Besides, Zuko was sixteen and had been on a ship filled with adults since he hit puberty. Iroh let out an undignified snort, then quickly looked both ways to be sure no one had seen that lapse of decorum.

He had a feeling hormones were going to hit Zuko like a komodo-rhino, which could be endlessly entertaining for the adults onboard. Perhaps a friendly wager was warranted…? He hummed happily to himself as he set out to look for certain crewmen.

* * *

Katara gripped Appa's warm fur tightly, feeling nervousness in her chest. They'd made it to the closest air temple in half a day… It wasn't a pretty sight. Seeing Aang's panic and anger at his own ravaged home had made her want to see her own again. It would be terrible to leave on poor terms with them. She still wanted to go with Aang to learn to waterbend, but she needed to make up with her family first.

"They're going to be so mad at me," she murmured. Beside her, Aang pouted.

"It won't be so bad, Katara!"

She shot a scathing look at him. "You don't know Sukka."

Aang sucked all the air from his cheeks, and bounced on his toes in a way that made her feel a little sick and want to shriek at him to be careful while they were flying on the giant buffalo. "She's your family, Katara." His tone turned sad. "Your family won't turn you away."

Katara looked at him, confused, focusing fully on him for once. '_Aang_…' He'd never sounded so sad before… '_Of course'_, she realized, feeling stupid, '_he just realized that everyone he ever knew is dead. He wouldn't forget that just because I have problems.'_

Katara had been feeling a sinking feeling in her gut all day- leaving without her family's permission had stopped being fun. She didn't want to disappoint them, or for Sukka to have to do all the work by herself.

'_I bet I hurt Gran-Gran's feelings too,_' she thought miserably, seeing her village in the distance for the first time. '_And Sukka must have been scared. She's always worried about me._'

"Hey, what happened here? Was there a party?"

"What?" Katara looked closely at her village, quickly approaching. She gasped. "What- I don't understand!" There was a huge hole in their ice wall, and water was slowly leaking into the village square. A few houses were touched by the water- others had kicked-in walls, and there were figures slowly struggling between buildings, carrying heavy belongings.

As soon as Appa came to a stop, Katara slid off and started running. "Gran-Gran! Sukka!" She ducked through her fellow villagers, noting their strange stares- they were almost hostile, and some were disbelieving. '_What, did they really think I wouldn't come back_?' In the crowd, she saw her father's sister glance at her and begin to walk over, but other women seemed to intentionally stay back. She swallowed the hurt and confusion at the strange situation, and forgot it altogether when she saw her grandmother come hobbling around an igloo.

"What happened!" Katara gestured at the mess around her. "I was only gone a day. Gran-Gran, I'm sorry I left without permission. It was wrong of me. I had Aang bring me back."

Her grandmother gave a sigh and opened her arms. "I could use a hug, Katara," She obliged, feeling soothed and comforted. "I bet Sukka is so mad at me," she mumbled. Gran-Gran stiffened strangely, then put her hands on Katara's shoulders and drew her back.

"Gran-Gran?" she asked strangely, as though something was in her throat. "Where's Sukka?"

Her grandmother avoided her eyes, looking at Aang instead. "The Fire Nation saw the flare that you set off," she said tonelessly. "They came, demanding to see the avatar, of all the ridiculous things." Aang gave them a wild-eyed look, and Gran-Gran closed her eyes, as if he'd confirmed something. Then she turned her attention back to Katara. "Your sister tried to get rid of them through diplomacy, and then she fought them. She lost. They searched the village, where, shockingly enough, they found no one and nothing. Then they took her and left. They were led by a young man, perhaps seventeen or eighteen years old, with a horrible scar on the left side of his face."

There was suddenly no air.

"They- They **took her**?!" Katara couldn't believe it. "What you mean, 'took her', like she was a –a blanket, or something!" She fell to her knees in the snow weakly, still gripping her grandmother's dress. She was vaguely aware of tears on her face. '_It's just like when they killed mom… this is what they do.'_

"But why," she asked Gran-Gran's toes bewilderedly. "What could they possibly hope to gain?" Gran-Gran sighed.

"You already know the answer to that, Katara." At that moment, she looked a hundred years old. "They don't want anyone else to have benders to fight them with." She closed her eyes, pained. "If you'd been here, they would have taken you too." A lone tear streaked down her face. "Young man. You are the Avatar." It wasn't a question.

"I am," Aang said quietly. "This… this is my fault, isn't it." He looked down, shamed.

'_Aang... is the Avatar?!'_

"Yes." Katara looked between the two, shocked. "And no." Aang looked hopeful at that. "You are not responsible for the evils of others, young man, but you are responsible for doing what you can to protect those who cannot protect themselves." Her stare was hard and unforgiving. "You have been frozen for a hundred years, and the world has suffered in your absence. May Tui and La forgive my harshness to a child, but you can no longer be a child. The world needs you. You only know airbending?"

"Yes," Aang said miserably.

"We cannot teach you waterbending, but our cousins at the North Pole can. Katara, you are a woman of the tribe, and our representative."

Katara looked up, confused. "Does this mean… you want me to go?"

"You must be trained," Kanna sighed, (and she was sounding like the formal, capable 'Tribeswoman Kanna', not gentle 'Gran-Gran'). "The Avatar cannot go alone, and you are extraordinarily talented. Clearly, your destinies are intertwined in some way. It can be no coincidence that you were the one to discover the Avatar after a hundred years. You must also be able to help rescue your sister, which I assume is your intent. They won't kill her, but I do not know what they will do with her, or how they treat prisoners."

"Yes, Gran-Gran. I want to." She clenched her hand into a fist. "So we'll go get training!"

"It will not be easy," Kanna said bluntly. "The Northern Water tribe was my home as a girl. They do not believe that girls should fight, even waterbenders. They will instead teach girls to heal. You are a chief's daughter, however. You have some rights. Either take the healing training, which could be useful indeed, and then train under the Avatar after you leave, or convince them to train you in the first place. However well-held their idiotic beliefs may be they will be reluctant to snub their only real allies."

Katara swallowed hard. She hadn't even known they didn't train girls when she'd run off, and she'd certainly never heard Gran-Gran sound so bitter.

"Katara, I am counting on you." Kanna gestured at the village. "We will likely have to move inland. Do not expect us to be here when you return. We will leave signs." She turned and startled to shuffle towards their hut. "I will pack your belongings, and send you on your way with blessings."

Aunt Koharu, Hakoda's younger sister, tapped at Katara's shoulder and drew her into a hug as she stood there in a state of shock. She murmured, "Katara, you've upset a lot of people by your actions two days ago, and the stress of yesterday's events didn't help. They will calm down, but you need to reevaluate your role as a woman of the tribe." She held Katara at arm's length and gave her a serious look. "You may have a calling to help the Avatar, but you also have responsibilities as the Chief's heir apparent. Yesterday, Sukka showed the courage and wisdom of the Southern Water Tribe. I know you can too." She kissed Katara's forehead. "Be safe, little cousin."

* * *

Rest of Author's Note:

Please review so I know if I'm writing this for me or for an audience.

Because I have a seriously crazy thing for Zuko, when I read the original story and it veered away from Fire Nation-y focuses (and what's up with that, they totally rock), I hit the awesome Babyuknowme13 up via private message and got permission to utilize the above premises. Other than it, I think I took this in a pretty different direction (hard to say, since I've got quite a bit written out past where the story diverted, but any other similaries were made telepathically or accidentally).

I think that we've all seen how Katara and Sokka argue, then find Aang out on the ice enough times that I chose not to replicate it. If you want to see that with this specific character set- go to the original story by the aforementioned author, because the characterization there is dead on and I see little point in replicating it. :D

The first major diversion in my story is that extremely convenient moment in canon where Katara and Aang turn around after having been banished and come back to the village _in the middle_ of the dramatic confrontation with Zuko. In my story? They come too late to be of any help, because they went to the air temple right away. Due to that, the villagers are not quite so forgiving of either Aang or Katara, and Katara quickly realizes that she can't just expect things to work out. Because I wanted to shake her until she made sense more than once when watching the show, mostly. I'm going to try to make her more than just idealistic and maternal with inexplicable talent that allows her to be the equal of other talented individuals with years of intense training, because she's sort of sadly a flat character when she has so much potential to be cool.

I know ATLA is primarily a children's show, but my focus is a little different. Thusly, things that I think were essentially edited out for the audience - like violence, complex motivations, language stronger than 'darn', and real consequences for dumb choices are going to have a larger place in my story than the show would suggest. I'll try to remain true to character's basic personalities and the style of light-hearted humor, but that's the only real stylistic concession. If I'm getting way off base, critique me, I need any excuse I can get to avoid that thesis paper.


	2. Chapter 2

Whoooo, chapter two. I had intended to wait to post this, but waiting is really hard.

* * *

"Katara… I'm sorry I didn't tell you I'm the Avatar." Aang said quietly from behind her on Appa. She didn't lift her head or reply, just fiddled with the soft fur in her hands. He continued. "It's my fault they came and took your sister, and hurt your village. I just… I wasn't ready to be the Avatar. I'm still not ready." His tone became desperate. "They're not even supposed to tell you if you're the Avatar until you're sixteen! Much less training you for it- I… I don't know how to be the Avatar. But that's what the world needs, so I have to try."

"Oh, Aang," she breathed. Katara swiveled carefully on her perch in the saddle and gave him a hug. "It's not your fault. You are too young for this, but we'll get through it together. And then we'll save Sukka, and she'll scold both of us." She laughed a little at the last part. That didn't mean it was a joke. Sukka was going to be incredibly angry with her for running off with a near stranger.

Aang snickered. "Uh oh. You sure she will?"

"Oh yeah," Katara laughed. "She can hold a grudge and you" –here she poked his tummy – "you ran off with her baby sister. She's going to shake and scold you until you get dizzy."

"Hey!" He giggled, covering his tummy. "Now I'm really scared."

"Nah," she said, flipping an arm over his shoulder companionably. "Those Fire Nation guys should be scared. She's going to kick their butts."

* * *

Sukka wiggled miserably, feeling the light sleeping shirt slide over her skin. It'd been the best thing the lady Marine could spare. It served alright as a dress, coming almost to her knees and extending a few inches past her wrists (which meant it was getting tangled in the chains).

The collar was too wide- fire nation women were _big_. Not fat, but just built bigger. In fact, the lady Marine's frame was almost unnaturally small for her height, as if a regular woman had just been stretched out. Was that typical for Fire Nation girls? If it was, Sukka had gotten seriously screwed in the height category by inheriting from her mother's side. As such, she couldn't have kept the top from sliding off one shoulder even if her hands had been free.

She'd been far too hot before, but that was in her furs and boots, which had been hastily taken away despite her protests. In the empty metal room, in bare feet and someone else's shirt, Sukka was cold. She couldn't even hug herself for warmth. Instead she paced as best as she could in the small space. Her toes were freezing. It was dark, and all she could hear was her own breathing and footsteps padding on the floor, and cartoonishly big, booted feet moving about on the deck above. The movement had really increased in the past few hours, she noted. A shift change, perhaps? The sharp sounds of their boots gave her cause to ponder as well.

'_Do they really wear those horrible uniforms all the time,'_ she wondered, '_or is it just when they need to look scary_?' Natsumi hadn't looked scary once she took off her gloves and helmet to dress Sukka. She was tall- easily head and shoulders above Sukka- but not scary. She had a plain face and an easy smile.

_'I wish these fire nation guys didn't look quite so normal'_, she thought miserably. It was going to be excessively difficult to pull off a daring escape if she liked them too much to lay the smack down on them.

Instead of dwelling on that, Sukka debated with herself about the scary uniforms. She ultimately decided that they couldn't possibly wear them all the time- that would be hideously impractical, and make it far too easy for someone else to sneak in disguised. They couldn't be that dumb, right?

'_Fire Nation'_, she reminded herself. '_They could be, for all I know. They didn't have the sense Tui and La gave ice seals- if they did, they would have finished interrogating at least one other person instead of assuming they could get everything out of me. They can't have anything corroborated now to check my story. Not that I plan on telling them shit._'

She had no idea how long it had been since she'd been locked inside the cell- hours at the very least. It had possibly even been overnight. Sukka hadn't rested at all. How could she, on floor so cold it hurt the pads of her feet? Okay, so that was a slight exaggeration- Natsumi had brought back a thin cot and a thick blanket with the shirt, but it wasn't enough to pad the floor and cover her body. At one point, she'd had the bright idea to try to warm the room up a little using her firebending. As it turned out, the cuffs around her hands grew hot long before anything else did, and the metal had burnt her wrists. She'd deemed it smarter to stop trying that and keep moving (wearing the blanket as a sort of fuzzy, uber-stylish cape) to deal with the cold instead of firebending, since she couldn't treat her burns.

She wished she'd kept her mouth shut about not wanting to sleep in her furs- after she had them off, they had been taken away by a soldier with a distasteful expression. She had the sinking feeling that it hadn't been so that she would be getting them back freshly laundered.

'_It's no luxury inn',_ she thought wryly. '_I definitely shan't recommend it to my friends._'

She wasn't sure if the burns were the worst of her problems, though. Overnight, she'd developed ugly bruising on her arms and back from where she'd been manhandled yesterday, and the burns were partially overlapping the raised welts from the cold cuffs she'd worn on the deck while they'd boarded.

Overall, Sukka just generally felt like she'd been ran over by a canoe.

'_I'm never picking a fight with Princess Ponytail again_,' she virtuously lied to herself, knowing damn well that she'd do so a hundred times for spite and at least once more for curiosity after that. She didn't have anything better to do than provoke him, and she sure as hell wasn't going to let him think he intimidated her. He intimidated her a lot, what with the scary bending and the yelling, but firmly maintained that Fire Nation royalty didn't hold a candle to a water tribe warrior.

It must have been morning when the door swung open. Sukka cursed at the bright light, ducking her face into her shoulder. "Good morning, Miss Sukka," Iroh's voice rang out cheerfully. Then he continued disapprovingly, "Oh dear. What was Zuko thinking? I thought he was going to make sure you had a more… comfortable night. Have you slept at all?"

"No," she said curtly.

'_It figures he'd 'forget' something like that,_' she thought bitterly, rolling her eyes. _'He doesn't exactly like me._' The boy had been a point of confusion for her during her long, sleep-deprived night. He'd been rude to her, his crew and even his uncle- but blushed and rushed to act appropriately when he was called out on it. _'You'd think they'd have taught a prince some manners._' He seemed more unpolished than malicious. Even when he'd fought her, he hadn't been too vicious against an obviously less skilled opponent.

And his silly, over-the-top reaction when he'd seen she was a girl was almost funny. He'd just seemed like an awkward young boy who didn't know how to deal with girls, someone who was much less capable and self-assured than he liked to act. Perhaps he really didn't know how to deal with girls, if he'd been on this boat for very long.

She hadn't seen any boys like that in three years, but she still remembered the type. Even at thirteen, water tribe boys had found her exotic and interesting- even if she weren't the chief's daughter. The other young girls and the boys who had been too young to go with the warriors at the time had all slowly migrated to the satellite southern water tribe villages to marry or stay with other relatives after the men left. Their village was the main one, and so of course all their men left to represent them. Other villages hadn't been so thorough.

Anyway, she knew the type. He seemed like a fumbling youth playing seriously at warrior games, (albeit with considerable skill, as her aching forearm and assorted muscle soreness reminded her) not a hardened killer_. 'Which is good for me, I suppose,_' she noted dryly. '_After all the provoking I've done, I guess I'd know if he really were prone to violence. He didn't even do anything after I slapped him'_. The mark had still been on his cheek when she was taken away from Iroh's quarters.

"Are you listening?"

Sukka jumped back, suddenly alert again, feeling a strange shaking in her limbs and the hunger from yesterday still burning in her belly. "I'm fine." She snapped reflexively. '_Could use a meal, but I guess they don't like to feed prisoners around here_.' Iroh gave her a strange look, and she realized that wasn't his question. "I'm listening now."

"I was suggesting that you come have morning tea. I'm afraid that I am quite busy, but Prince Zuko quite likes company in the mornings." He gave her a harmless smile. She didn't buy it for an instant.

"Of course he does." She didn't hide her disbelief. Was this guy for real? More importantly, was this the offer of food? She'd deal with ten of Zuko if it meant breakfast.

"I am glad you understand. Lieutenant! Would you please help me escort the young lady to the Prince's quarters? The young people should have breakfast, don't you believe?"

"Of course, sir," came the gruff reply, once again filtered through that dehumanizing mask. Sukka shot a suspicious look, but she couldn't even tell if this Lieutenant was a man or the woman who'd helped her last night. That armor really was unflattering… and to think that prince ponytail had mocked HER outfit!

That was about the time she realized that she was being led through the hallways barefoot and in only her wrappings and a borrowed sleeping shirt. Icy wind filtered down through the hall, pricking at her skin and pulling the shirt away. '_Ayah, this is almost indecent_.' She flushed. '_They can't really expect me to wear this during the day, can they?'_

They seemed to have no other plans, so Sukka grit her teeth and dealt with it. She wasn't going to complain to these people. It might not even seem strange to them- they weren't from a cold climate where skin was always covered. Bare legs might not be shocking to an island people. She hoped that was the case. It would be a little less embarrassing.

Sukka bit her tongue, trying to use the pain as a stimulant to keep her awake. She was swaying lightly on her feet, and rapidly feeling hot instead of freezing like she had all night. _'Are their quarters near the boiler room or something,_' she wondered. The thought slid away, but she promised herself she'd examine it later. It could have just been the abrupt transition between temperatures combined with dehydration and sleep deprivation that gave her the feeling, and not actual excessive heat.

A knock in front of her drew her attention. "What!" a familiar, crabby voice barked out.

Iroh opened the door and leaned inside genially. "I have terrible and wonderful news, nephew! I am too busy for our usual breakfast, so I thought that I would invite our guest to dine with you alone." (A disbelieving and outraged '**_what_**?!' came from inside the room, but everyone pretended not to notice. Bemused, Sukka let it go as well.) Was he always so grumpy? His crew seemed to expect nothing less. '_That's no way for a chief to act,' _shethought disapprovingly.

Iroh pulled his head back out and smiled at her. "He's quite ready, go on in. Someone will bring food by shortly, I am sure." With a wave, he bumbled off, back the way they'd came.

The lieutenant behind her cracked the door open a bit more and gently guided Sukka in with a hand between her shoulder blades. "There you are, miss. Is there anything I can do, Prince Zuko?"

"No, go away. Don't you have work to do?"

Sukka snorted at his shortness as she became accustomed to the dark again in his room. Like her cell, there were no windows. Unlike her cell, his cabin –a large room that seemed to combine a bedroom and tea area- was lit by candles. He was sitting cross-legged in a circle of them. He cracked an eye open irritably as she shuffled inside. "Well, sit down then," he snapped. Then he blinked both eyes open and looked at her again. "You look **terrible**. Didn't you sleep all night?" Sukka gave him a weak glare.

'_**Definitely**__ not good with girls'_.

He seemed to be having a hard time forming words. "And... what are you wearing?" He looked at her like she was a dangerous caged animal on a too-long cord. He himself was in simple black pants and a dark red shirt with long sleeves and a high collar.

"Someone's sleeping shirt, apparently." She jangled the chains connecting her cuffs pointedly as a reminder that she was a prisoner. "Silly me, I forgot to bring all my clothes and a comfortable pillow on this adventure. Boy, is there egg on my face."

"Right". He coughed uncomfortably. While she watched blearily, he stepped out of the circle of candles and strode over to a chest. When he found what he was looking for and turned around, Sukka realized that he was holding fabric. At her questioning look, he mumbled, "Old clothes," then held them out like he expected her to take them.

"Uh, thanks, but"… she jangled the chains again.

He sighed in exasperation, then tossed the clothes onto his cot and left without a word. As the door banged shut behind him, Sukka just felt confused. Was she supposed to try to change? Before she could make up her mind to do anything, she heard voices outside her room- one of which was Zuko. '_Oh, probably talking to whoever is lurking outside the door just in case I chew through the chains and attack their precious princess.'_

She waited uncomfortably, hearing footsteps leaving, then someone else walking down the stairs and to the door. That conversation was shorter, and the door swung open again. One of the soldiers was standing there- this time, in more casual clothes- and she could see Zuko standing against the wall.

The soldier came in- and seeing as it was a woman, Sukka started to get the idea. "Am I changing?", she asked. The woman nodded. It wasn't Natsumi this time, and the woman didn't want to talk or exchange names. At one point, she'd asked for permission from Zuko (who still lurked in the hall) to remove the cuffs.

_'I guess that means they think they can control me. They're only concerned about what I do when no one is watching me_.' It burned at her pride, but they were probably right. Zuko was the youngest person she'd seen on the ship by far, and he'd easily wiped the snow with her. She bet that old Uncle of his would lay the smack down on her in two seconds flat. Older warriors were often very efficient at ending fights before they devolved into the necessity for a lot of movement and agility.

Once her arms were free, Sukka gratefully allowed the woman to help her with the strange clothes- why would they have clasps _up the back_? Was the point to ensure that someone couldn't dress themselves?

Zuko's old clothes fit her better than Natsumi's had. Either he'd been on this ship a very long time, or he'd hit a seriously impressive growth spurt recently. She told herself she wasn't jealous. These fire nation people were all giants- it was no wonder that they'd thought there were only men on board these ships. Their women were as tall as Water Tribe men.

'_Will I get that tall,"_ she idly wondered. Looking at how even these much smaller clothes fit her, she doubted it a little. '_Positive thoughts. It could always happen. …Right after Aang's snot monster swoops out of the sky, eats all the firebenders, and then takes me back home. Just think positive thoughts.'_

The woman left, and after a while alone Sukka felt comfortable enough to flounce down on the cot and crossed one leg over her knee in order to fold up the hems of her new pants so they didn't drag on the floor.

Once that was done, she gave a luxurious stretch, feeling the soft material move breezily with the action. She didn't know enough about clothing to judge this, but she was guessing from the soft feel that it was nice stuff. Apparently Zuko's tastes had always run to reds and blacks, although one of her two new pairs of pants was actually a very dark grey. The feeling of the collar under her chin when she looked down was strange, but not exactly uncomfortable.

While she could see them, Sukka slipped up the sleeves and examined the burns on her wrists from the hot metal. They were ugly looking, red and beginning to swell. Still, she should be okay. Experimentally, Sukka rotated her wrists, feeling pleased to confirm that she hadn't harmed her full range of movement by trying to warm her cell. She let the sleeves fall to cover her hands- they were cold anyways, and the mild breeze in the cabin irritated her burns even more than the fabric brushing against them. With a sigh, she pulled her feet off the rug onto the little bed with the rest of her. His floor was warmer than hers, but it still wasn't exactly like wearing fur-lined boots.

She was just about ready to consider the merits of snuggling into the cot –the jerk-ness of its owner be damned- and taking a nap when the door opened again and Zuko strode back in, with unusually red cheeks. '_Is it windy today?'_ she wondered.

He stared for a moment, and then frowned down at her as if he couldn't comprehend the rudeness of someone using his things without his permission. "What are you doing?"

'_Isn't that obvious?'_

Sukka raised an eyebrow in challenge. "Relaxing." Then she pointedly made an enormous, catlike stretch with an accompanying groan of happiness, and fell back onto the cot, turning her face to nestle into the pillow. Luckily, it hid her grin at the undignified choking sounds the boy was making. '_Really, he's too easy to tease_.' Her inner voice suddenly affected a high-pitched, girly tone. '_Oh no, there's a girl in my bed, getting girl cooties all over it! Eek!'_

Then she took a moment to wonder if other people had those sorts of conversations in their heads.

"Well, I guess that means you don't want breakfast. I can eat both of them."

That got Sukka up quick. "No!" She tumbled off the bed, ready to snatch her food from his fire nation-y claws. Then she blinked, confused. "There's no food." Sukka slumped over in disappointment. "You implied there was food… and there wasn't. You're a really bad person." She sank into despair for a long moment.

The boy rolled his eyes. "Private!" he barked. A moment later, the door opened and another one of the soldiers in a fabric uniform instead of the metal came in, carrying a tray. He set it down on a small table, much like the one they'd taken tea on in Iroh's room yesterday. "Dismissed." Zuko strode over and seated himself on a cushion. Then he gave her an impatient look. "Well?"

Sukka zipped over to seat herself and examine the food. It was…. Weird. Rice, okay, she could deal with rice. And that right there might be fish. Privately she thought it strange to have fish for breakfast, but she'd rather eat that than the soup beside it, which smelled of spices she'd never encountered before.

However, when it came to food, Sukka was nothing if not a trooper, and she was hungry enough that she ended up eating even the weird soup with as much dignity and grace as possible…. Granted, she had never been known for her manners, so that was a pretty low bar to hit.

Katara had always been the one with impeccable manners and dignity- Sukka had been too busy working to give much thought to appearances, beyond being respectful. Now, she wished she'd paid more attention. It wasn't that she cared what Zuko thought, she assured herself, so much as she was representative of the Southern Water Tribe… and she'd be happier if she wasn't thrown back in that cell post-haste.

"I've never seen a girl eat that much," the boy commented, bemused. She made a face at him. "Hey, I'm a hungry girl, okay? I'm stocking up food for a growth spurt."

She stuck her nose up and ignored the snort she heard in response. "Whatever you say, shorty."

Sukka looked at him sharply, despite the fact that she had recently been moping about her lack of height. She wasn't going to let petty things like 'facts' and 'reality' act to excuse anyone snubbing her. "Shorty? I'm tall for my age! Taller than any of the other Water Tribe girls I've ever seen."

She heard a groan. "What, are you thirteen?" Her jaw dropped, and she sputtered indignantly.

"I'm sixteen, prince ponytail! What are you, besides incredibly rude?"

Softly and disbelievingly, he muttered, "…Prince Ponytail?"

She gave a smug little smile. "You must be very secure to wear your hair in a style reserved for unmarried young girls." She stole a peek at his face. He looked like he was suffering a minor stroke.

He must have been flustered, because he snidely pretended he'd never heard the comment. "So, what you are telling me is that Water Tribe Girls are all really short?"

"No, you're just unnecessarily tall," she snapped back, putting her rice bowl on the table with more noise than was strictly unavoidable. "If you're done taunting me, I suppose you have really important things to do today. Maybe you could go kidnap someone else to keep me company in that cell."

"You're really harping on that whole 'kidnapping' thing, aren't you?"

She gave him a disbelieving stare. He leaned forward, with his eyes glittering in that strange hypnotic way again.

"Listen, I need your help to find that airbender boy. After that, if you help me, I can leave you at a neutral port, where you will stay out of this war. It's military policy not to leave benders in the hands of our enemies, you couldn't stay there. Another captain would have killed you."

Her lips twisted into a grimace. She knew that already. That was what those animals would have done to her baby sister, if her mother hadn't pretended to be the bender. She was grimly reminded of just how important it was that they didn't find out Katara was a waterbender.

"That airbender… he isn't alone, is he?" She gave him a sharp look, which he apparently interpreted as confirmation. "You sent him off with a friend, to help him or guide him? That person will be safe from me, but not everyone would be so cautious at the prospect of getting their hands on an airbender. I need to find him in order to regain my honor."

Sukka blinked. "Regain your… What, like you dropped it at the market and no one returned it?" She scoffed. "That doesn't make sense. Honor doesn't come and go like that. If you act honorably, you have honor. Besides, you don't know nearly as much as you think you do. I certainly didn't send anyone with the little fucker." The last statement was too bitter to be as nonchalant as she'd intended.

"So someone went with him against your wishes to leave with him?" His golden eyes bored into her. "You were acting in lieu of the chief, right? So that means they disobeyed you. Do you want them caught and punished? I'll return them to your authority, if you help me catch them."

She gave him a horrified look. "What is wrong with you! That's my baby sister we're talking about!" a pause. "Oh, shit. I shouldn't have said that, huh."

Zuko seemed caught between triumph and confusion. "Why would you hide that?" He frowned. "and why wouldn't you want her punished?"

"She'll be punishing herself, when she comes back and realizes that her stupid new friend setting off that flare had consequences." Sukka rubbed at her head tiredly, then drew her knees up to her chest and hugged them. "Clearly, you don't know much about kids." Her voice was muffled by her knees, but still managed to sound vaguely accusatory.

"Do you know where they were going?"

Sukka groaned, fed up with the questions. "Why would I tell you", she demanded. "Do you think I want some jerk harassing my sister and her dumb little friend? Anyways, I have dibs on beating the tar out of him, so you can't."

"So…. You aren't on friendly terms, then."

She gave a little scream in frustration and threw the cushion next to hers into his face. He caught it easily. "You just don't know when to give up, do you."

"I can bring your sister back home, once I find the airbender." Sukka paused, strangely tempted. But…. No. Katara had almost certainly felt guilty and returned home by now. She was a good, dutiful girl. She definitely wouldn't make it all the way to the North Pole without permission- she'd feel far too ashamed of herself and turn around. Then she winced, imagining just what Katara would find when she returned home. A village in ruins, and the news that Sukka had failed.

"Just leave me alone."

* * *

Zuko- half an hour earlier

While he had waited for the female officer to help the water tribe girl get changed, Zuko had found himself deciding to check on Uncle to see what was so important that he had to miss breakfast. Zuko always ate in his quarters, but Uncle took lunch and dinner with the men in the mess hall. Breakfast was the only meal he regularly ate with company.

_'Not that I care_,' he fiercely reminded himself.

After he started to hear rustling, and the obvious question, "May I remove her cuffs, sir?", Zuko took off. _'I should have thought of that. How would you take off clothes with your hands tied behind your back?'_ He couldn't picture it.

He found Uncle with the helmsmen, having some sort of casual conversation that ended when he came into the room. For a moment, he considered utilizing subtlety. Then he remembered how that tactic always backfired on Uncle and got conversations drawn out for hours.

"Why did you drag that girl to my quarters? What's the point?"

Perhaps that was a little too blunt.

"Now, now, Prince Zuko, cheer up. Is it really so terrible to have breakfast in bed with a pretty girl?"

His jaw dropped. "That… That's it?! That's your reasoning?" Involuntarily, his hands clenched into claws, and he had to actively concentrate on NOT starting a fire in the room with the maps. He was always more volatile if he didn't get to finish his morning meditations.

"No, of course not!" Uncle laughed. "I just thought that I might give you a chance to try to get the information that we need from her. After all, it was you who found out everything we know so far. She seems to get caught up in banter with you, and forget her tongue. If after a few days you have not gathered enough information, I can meet with her and play the sympathetic ear, which she is likely to need after several days away from home. After all, we do not have to set a course until after we can get to a port and make repairs on the damage to the hull from our rather overzealous entrance."

Suddenly the decision made a bit more sense. Zuko choked down the vague feeling of pride at his uncle acknowledging he did something well. That wasn't productive right now. "I see. Good thinking."

"May I ask why you are here, and she is not? May I presume that she is still in your quarters?"

Zuko nodded distractedly. "Yes, I left her to get changed." He glared at this uncle. "What were you thinking, dragging her halfway across the ship like that? It was indecent."

There was a long silence.

"Well, I suppose I was thinking that she wouldn't look very nice in the Fire Nation uniform, even if we could cut one down to fit!" Behind him, Zuko heard one of the men in the room snicker. He sighed. '_I won't look. If I pretend I didn't hear, I don't have to deal with it.'_

"I think that the cuffs are unnecessary. She's barely half-trained, she's not going to pose a threat to anyone on board," Zuko stated, more to change the topic than anything.

Uncle gave him a considering look. "It is your decision, Prince Zuko. It is policy to keep prisoners restrained, but I have no doubt that you can keep her under control." Then he paused, thoughtfully. "Zuko, what clothes did you find for her?"

He gave his uncle a strange look. "Some of my old things, of course." Then his tone turned sarcastic. "Unless you think anyone else on board has clothes they've grown out of."

"You are probably correct. Still, I am disappointed in you."

Zuko felt a strange stab at his heart, and he gave his uncle a wounded stare. "What?"

"Well…" Uncle chuckled. "You have a pretty girl undressing in your room, and you aren't even providing her with company. Your hospitality is lacking, nephew!"

His jaw dropped and his face turned red as the men burst out into outright guffaws.

"She might be lonely, after a cold night alone in that cell" the navigator teased.

Uncle broke in again, with a sage-like, "If you walk back in and find her in your bed, you know she missed you."

That set them off again.

Zuko fumed and stomped off without another word. What'd they know, anyways! He viciously kicked at the ground, then stomped over to the galley and demanded to know why he hadn't been brought breakfast yet. He ignored the fact that he didn't usually have food for another twenty minutes- he needed to get that girl out of his room so that he didn't become a total laughingstock.

'_As if she'd ever be interested,_' he scoffed. '_I saw the way she jumped when she first saw my fac_e.' A hand self-consciously raised to touch his scar. It wasn't an unusual reaction, but it still hurt. He scowled and jerked his hand back down to his side when he realized what he'd done. _'It's not like I care about girls anyway. All I want is to catch the Avatar and go home.'_

The Marine waiting outside his cabin gave him a mildly alarmed look, and Zuko consciously took a deep breath, calming himself enough that he stopped breathing smoke. He hadn't exactly mastered that whole 'dragon breath' thing, but he'd certainly become proficient at accidentally creating excessive heat in his lungs when he was angry.

He took a moment to regain his composure, dismissed the waiting sailor - he wouldn't need help keeping her under control, and his crew had work to do- and strode in.

Then he stopped dead in his tracks upon seeing the girl, who looked surprisingly good in his clothes and his bed. She met his eyes indolently, as if there was nothing strange about the situation whatsoever. For one bizarre moment, he found himself wondering how old she was. (and wasn't that a stupid, pointless question). Then he shook out of it.

"What are you doing?" He was vaguely proud of how normal his voice sounded. It was a good thing he didn't need to say anything else, because he didn't know if he could have managed. Her reply was cheeky, but vague. It wasn't _nearly_ as interesting as the way she raised her arms above her head and arched her back before she relaxed into his blankets and turned her face away from him onto the pillow. The ligaments in her neck stood out, before they disappeared into the high collar of his shirt, but he could complete the picture of where they met with her collarbones. He felt his face flush. '_The men were joking about her meaning something by being there, right_? _She probably just wanted to be somewhere more comfortable than last night_.'

Definitely time to think about something else.

"Well, I guess that means you don't want breakfast. I can eat both of them".

'_That was a stupid, inane thing to say_.' He cursed inwardly. '_Agni, I sounded like a dumb kid_.'

The girl didn't seem to think so. She gave an alarmed squeak and lunged off the bed towards him, like she thought he was hiding sweet rolls in his shirt. "No!" Then she stood, blinking confusedly. "There's no food." Her thin shoulders slumped over in disappointment. "You implied there was food… and there wasn't. You're a really bad person." She looked absolutely devastated by the lack of food.

_'I guess she didn't notice that I sounded dumb." _He told himself he wasn't relieved. He didn't care what this girl thought about him, even if she looked awfully civilized in proper Fire Nation clothes, instead of those weird furs.

There was actually something really strangely fascinating about seeing a girl in his clothes. They'd certainly never looked like _that_ on him. The clothes he'd worn at thirteen fit her alright through the torso, the shirt's hem hitting the right point at her hips, but apparently he'd had longer arms and legs at 13 than she did now. She'd rolled up the pants, but not the sleeves. As she moved, he could see her fingertips, but that was it.

It was strangely cute.

He was relieved to hear footsteps outside the room. He took a wild guess- hoping it was the private bringing their food- and lucked out.

_'I should probably start pumping her for information. She seems like she'll be easily distracted by food, which would make her less cautious._'

* * *

Katara clenched her jaw tightly, trying to keep her temper in check as she watched Yugoda teach girls a third of her age how to heal bruises. Luckily, Katara had a knack for the healing arts, so she hopefully wouldn't be there too long.

Her proposal had been that she would learn the healing arts from Yugoda, (implying that she would only use those in most of her life, as if she agreed with their sexist philosophy)but that afterward she take some combat lessons, in order that she might act in her father's stead. They hadn't been impressed by her argument, although they had been a little more sympathetic when she told them she needed to be able to help rescue her sister, as there was literally no one else to do it. The fact that the Fire Nation had swooped in and kidnapped Chief Hakoda's oldest child had been more than a little alarming to Chief Arnook, who'd glanced protectively at his own child, Yue, clearly wondering if this was some horrific new strategy to keep enemies in line.

Katara had felt guilty when she realized that- she could have allied their worries by explaining they took Sukka because she was a bender, but… The Northern Water tribe was very hateful of the fire nation. They might feel less sympathy for Sukka if they realized she was half Fire Nation by blood.

They had agreed to think about, although Master Pakku had seemed completely uninterested in changing his mind. She had hoped that encouraging them to make a single exception under unusual circumstances would be more palatable than trying to force them all to see how incredibly stupid they were being, but was starting to think she'd misjudged the likelihood of that plan working out.

Still. Healing could only help, and at absolute worst Aang could teach her after they left. She had considered pointing that out- she was going to try to rescue her sister regardless of her lack of training, and they could just be sending her to her death through their stubbornness, but she hadn't been pushed that far just yet.

"Katara, would you like to give it a try?"

She sighed. "Of course, Sifu Yugoda." She moved to the front of the group to put her hands on the bored-looking warrior trainee who'd been volunteered to be their dummy. Warrior training must be nicer here, where they didn't have to keep their injuries. She couldn't help but think of Sukka, working for hours and hours to recreate demonstrated fire katas and half-remembered moves with the spear and boomerang. The thought was a little bitter. Sukka had worked so hard… and it had gotten her nowhere. She shifted uncomfortably, having healed the bruise in an instant's work. She needed to get trained in offensive bending, or she'd just get kidnapped too.

Healing was all well and good, but it wasn't what she needed.

That night, Katara met with Aang in his room. He looked about as dejected as she felt, but immediately perked up when he saw her. "Katara!" He bounced over to her, summoning up a ball of air as a seat. "How was your training?"

She sighed. "It was… fine." At his blank look, she elaborated. "I have a knack for it, so that's good. There's nothing wrong with healing… but it's not what I need to learn. I either need to force them to teach me, or count on you." She gave him a considering look. "How is your training going? Do you think you'll be able to teach me once we leave?"

He fidgeted. "Well… it isn't going so great, actually." He looked a bit embarrassed, rubbing at his bald head with his sleeve. "It's just so different from using air! Air is freedom in all directions, but with water, you have to push and pull things around." He made a scrunched-up face. "It's just weird."

"Well, great." Katara flopped down onto the mattress, feeling totally drained and unhappy, despite knowing she should be getting ready for dinner. "I'm going to have to push them. I'll ask Chief Arnook at dinner what he's thought. I mean, they have to acknowledge that rescuing Sukka is important, and the responsibility of the Southern Water Tribe." She gave a snort. "S'not like they're going to help, so they don't really have any right to specify how the job gets done, do that?"

"Uh…"

"That was a rhetorical question, Aang." She sat up, feeling determined once again. "Thanks for that, Aang! I feel much better now."

"Um, you're welcome?"

She pulled him to a standing position off his airball, and slid her arm through his. "Let's go!"

Katara had a hard time maintaining that enthusiasm and positivity through dinner. She fidgeted while she sat next to Princess Yue, wishing she were closer to Arnook instead. Yue was a sweet girl… but Katara couldn't stand her defeatist attitude. Casual conversation had led to the topic of her recent engagement, and Yue's rather pathetic attempt to put up a brave face in regards to the topic. A little pushing had revealed that she didn't want to get married, but she felt it was her duty. Katara had snorted at that.

"You're not being asked to marry your tribe, Yue. How could this specific marriage possibly benefit your tribe? It doesn't. You're martyring yourself to no cause because you don't want to say no to your dad, who loves you and would take your opinion into account if you only said something. I can see why they'd want to ensure the line of succession, but that doesn't mean you should marry someone you don't like."

Aang had been shocked at her brusque treatment of the girl, but Katara held firm.

Inwardly, Katara knew why she was being so harsh on the older girl. What she'd heard from Gran-Gran of Sukka fighting off a fully-trained firebender and his ship of soldiers had given her a rather unfair ideal of leadership in the face of poor odds. It had been Sukka's duty to do whatever it took to protect her people, including surrender. Yue was making a mockery of that sacrifice with her irritating compliance. If she was going to be such a weak Chief, then perhaps she shouldn't be one at all.

"Leadership isn't being unhappy in the service of some vague, unspoken ideal, Aang."

"I guess not, Katara…" He'd looked uncomfortably at Yue, who was nearly in tears. Apparently, she'd expected sympathy, not a scolding. When she'd pointed out her prospective husband, Katara had been repulsed. She'd seen that particular boy flirting with trainees in the healer's tent. "He's a jerk, and he's not a worthy leader. Marrying him will hurt your tribe- he clearly only thinks of himself. If that's who your dad wants to rule, then he has no faith in your abilities to make good decisions. Have you ever given him such cause to doubt you?"

"No! Of course not,", she'd whispered.

Katara had matter-of-factly replied, "Then maybe you need to actively show him you have leadership qualities."

She didn't have suggestions on how to do that, but then again, she didn't know much about the situation in the Northern Water Tribe.

Katara and Aang went to bed discouraged, having been unable to gain an audience with Chief Arnook. They'd determined that it would probably be unwise to put him on the spot and embarrass him- it was rather rude.

The next day passed in much the same way as the last week. Aang had struggled through lessons, Katara had blazed through the healing curriculum, and they'd met for lunch. After lunch, however, Katara was delighted to make a minor discovery- one that the Northern Water Tribe considered completely unremarkable and boringly domestic.

While she was half-dozing through lessons, the skins covering the entrance to the healing hut had been pulled aside to reveal a thin youth. "Yes, child?", Yugoda had greeted.

He gave a short bow. "Healer Yugoda, there was a minor collapse in one of the archway entrances to the temple. I was sent to ask if you would be willing to help make the repairs."

"Of course," she smiled, rising to her feet. "Class, you may be dismissed for the day."

"Wait!" Katara stood. "I thought women only did healing. You do other types of bending?"

The old woman had blinked at her. "My dear, did you really expect those water-slinging young men to appreciate the subtle beauty of our architecture?" She gave a short laugh. "When need be they are the ones who make repairs to our great walls, but that is a matter of defensibility, not aesthetics. Would you like to see how this is done?"

"Very much so, Sifu Yugoda." Katara had stifled a smile. Learning how to move water for building use was much closer to fighting than healing was. She knew enough of the now-extinct Southern Bending style to realize that their methods had also been used to create their great walls- such a thing couldn't be an exclusive skill like healing, as the Southern Water Tribe had given men and women the same training. At absolute worst, she could get some training in versatility and tips on how to maintain flow and hold water for longer. She had managed to do some minor tricks without any instruction whatsoever, so any guided learning could only help.

Luckily, the Northern Water Tribe's inflexible modes of thinking crippled them from recognizing the obvious flexibility of their style, and the strong similarities between what they insisted on classifying as 'different' uses of waterbending.

As she observed this new use of her art, Katara had been impressed. Yugoda was truly an artist, with fine control and an eye for detail that she could barely dream of.

'_Maybe that's what they see as the fundamental difference between appropriate male and female bending'_, she mused, observing the work and copying the movements to commit them to memory. _'Use of brute force and large quantities of water as opposed to the delicate 'women's work' that Yugoda does'._

If that was the case, perhaps she would be better off not learning from Pakku, who was about as inflexible as it got. Katara narrowed her eyes. '_The fine control he is so condescending of… maybe that should be the basis for my offensive style. It would certainly make me unpredictable, and re-establish a distinct Southern Water Tribe style. Every style was invented at some point… and from what Aang says, they're all based upon a distinct philosophy. I just need my personal philosophy, and to design the movement around it.'_

For the first time, Katara bent the rules of their arrangement by asking Aang to show her the movements he'd learned that day, and replicated them in her room without any water. Luckily, he still strongly believed that Pakku should have taught her in the first place- he wouldn't tell anyone.

It would have been much easier to learn the movements by practicing with a large body of water- but she couldn't risk anyone finding out what she was practicing, since she'd managed to pretend to adhere to their philosophy and demurely wait for Arnook to force Pakku to teach her.

Sukka wouldn't have been so docile, nor would she act recklessly. With a grimace of effort, Katara cut a swath through her room in replication of the katas Aang had shown her, a whirlwind of graceful limbs. She was going to do her sister proud, and get her back, whether the Northern Water Tribe helped her or not. Aang needed them because he needed the structure to learn, but Katara was already a woman of the water tribe, and she had little faith in these Northerners. They were selfish- hiding behind their beautiful walls while the Earth Kingdom and their Southern brethren suffered.

Once her limbs shook with tiredness, Katara replicated the moves in miniature with the basin she had been given full of water to wash her face. If she could perfect the moves on a small scale, she could replicate them later. At first she fought with the difficult handicap of using a sixth of the water intended for use with the first katas- and that was when she realized how wasteful they were.

The Northern Water Tribe's moves depended on having an entire ocean at their disposal. She grit her teeth, and wondered how much water she could carry on her at a given time. Regardless of what the answer was, it was certainly nowhere near enough for these moves to be useful.

Was there another way to utilize waterbending? She thought about the problem, late into the night. There was no way of knowing where she would find Sukka, and where she would go with Aang. Could water be found underground, or in clouds? Then she thought about her healing lessons… they worked by using the water inside of a living person. Could… could she use water like that in other things? Not from people, of course, but in greenery?

Of course, that still wouldn't help her much in a desert climate with only scrub and such, but there was only so much that a girl could plan for.

This was her new routine for the next two weeks. She noted bitterly that Chief Arnook never called to speak to her as he'd promised, but didn't force the issue. If they didn't know she was unhappy with their sexism, they wouldn't look too closely at why she was so interested in the architectural and artistic uses of waterbending. Yugoda had been surprised to find such an eager pupil of those arts in Katara, but pleased. She'd pushed her off onto a young mother with a knack for the art who created delicate works with ice.

Aang, on the other hand, became even unhappier under Pakku's rigid tutelage as the days passed. "This stinks!" he bemoaned, tossing a chip of ice into the river after another day of struggling. "He thinks there's only one way to do anything. My masters at the temples always taught that for the enlightened, such rigidity was an unnecessary crutch. The movements aren't as important as the intention".

He'd given a surprised laugh when she replied, "Maybe he's just not very enlightened."

Katara thought it was a valid point. She intensely disliked Pakku- he was dismissive of her and even his princess.

Privately, she was very grateful to have been born a woman of the Southern Tribe. That nonsense wouldn't happen- everyone's contributions mattered. Sure, it was more than a little unusual for women to turn out to be warriors, but when there was a need and no one else to do it, Hakoda had stepped up and trained his eldest daughter. The Northern Tribe was utterly lacking in that sort of practicality and flexible thinking. Sometimes she thought that if all the men disappeared tomorrow, the Northern Water Tribe women would sit in their pretty homes and docilely starve-or, at least, that the men would expect them to.

It was starting to seem that Aang was never going to become a waterbending master under Pakku's tutelage, and relations grew more and more strained at dinner. One night, it erupted.

"I cannot teach this boy," Pakku thundered in response to an inquiry she didn't hear. "Avatar or no, he is an unworthy pupil! He refuses to adopt the proper attitudes, and will not focus. He wants to chase down seagull-mice when he should be practicing."

Aang pushed his chair back with a bang in the suddenly quiet dining hall. "Well, maybe you're an unworthy Master! You ever think of that? You think bending is one thing and can't be anything else. You're wrong." The hall broke out into disapproving murmurs when he stormed out.

'_Time to do some damage control.'_

"Master Pakku," she said cordially. "Is it not true that there are other styles of waterbending? Obviously, the Southern style is extinct, and Aang appears to be unsuited to the Northern Bending style. Perhaps you could recommend a teacher of a style he might be more suited for?"

His eyes narrowed in approval in his bitter old face. "That is perhaps the first intelligent thing that has been suggested since you two arrived," he ground out.

_'What a hateful old man'_, Katara fumed.

She consciously kept a cordial look on her face, inwardly steaming at the snub. "Master Pakku, Chief Arnook. Could we perhaps discuss this further in private?"

Chief Arnook looked bemused, but he nodded. "Certainly, I-"

"I would like to attend as well, Father," Yue interrupted.

Arnook and Pakku outright stared, and some nearby diners gave her incredulous looks. Katara, on the other hand, felt her lips twitch in amusement and appreciation. '_If she's doing what I think she is, it certainly didn't take her long to consider things.'_

"Are you certain?" Chief Arnook shifted uncomfortably. "This won't be very interesting for you. Perhaps you could go to see your fiancé instead, if you are in need of entertainment."

Yue stared calmly back. "No, I am very interested," she demurred. "I would like to be present for this discussion."

Arnook shrugged helplessly. "If it would make you happy, my daughter." He was clearly more indulging her than respecting her as a possible contributor, but Katara was still impressed. She attempted to convey that to Yue silently as they filed out of the room. She received a nervous smile in return.

In the small meeting room, they found seats. Pakku folded his hands in front of his face. "Now, about getting rid of that boy," he drawled. "The only other practicing water style that I know of is that practiced in the Foggy Swamp.

Katara blinked, surprised. _'The Foggy Swamp?'_

"I've never heard of that. Do you know a specific master, or should we just travel there and attempt to make contact with anyone willing to help?"

'_The sooner we get this conversation over and out of here, the better.'_

Arnook leaned forward. "I'm afraid that we have very little contact with the outside world, and haven't had a regular source of information for decades. Not since my father was chief, actually." He rubbed at his chin apologetically. "We can't direct you to a Master, tell you how to safely traverse it, or even provide you with recent maps." He stopped, and revised that. "Well. Our maps will be quite a bit better than those of your companion. Perhaps we could compare them and update his at least to ours."

"Father," Yue spoke up. "Perhaps this is the time to ameliorate that lack of communication." She gestured to Katara. "We have a representative of our sister tribe here, who is intending to follow the Avatar on his quest." She delicately folded her hands in front of her on the table. "She will doubtless be in a position to gather all sorts of information, having which could only aid us. It has been possible for us to remain out of the war, behind our walls, for nearly a hundred years. But we do not know if the Fire Nation is re-gathering. We feel safe behind our walls, but the airbending masters of old also thought that they were completely safe, that no one could approach their temples. It is time to rejoin the world."

The room was bathed in silence.

_'Color me impressed,'_ Katara sucked in a breath, stunned at the turnaround but unsure of what to say. Yue had handily expressed an opinion that desperately needed to be said, while positioning herself as a savvy leader for the first time… and establishing a possible alliance with the daughter of a foreign tribe's chief, who had otherwise been inclined to view their allied relationship as failed.

'_Very good indeed._' She grinned cheekily at Yue, whose eyes sparkled with good humor at having flabbergasted her elders.

For the first time, Pakku gave both girls considering looks, which confused Katara a little. She hadn't said much, after all. '_Unless Yue just reminded him that I could be politically very important, through my tribe and my ties to the Avatar, who will likely be changing the course of this war, as soon as people realize he is a player'._

Katara stood tall, not wanting to undermine whatever small bit of respect she'd just gained.

"That is not a bad idea," Pakku allowed. His sharp eyes seemed to be summing Katara up for any possible worth. "Those fire nation ships use trained birds of some sort to communicate. It seems to me that our allies here could acquire one in a neutral port, and keep us informed on anything important that occurs over their travels. I happen to know that they track by scent. Why don't we let Yue become her contact, since this was her suggestion, and she will be dealing with Katara here in a diplomatic capacity once she is married to the Chief?"

Katara twitched in irritation, but that last presumption might be a fight for another day. "I would be amenable to this idea," she said calmly. "How will you help the Southern Water Tribe in exchange for this information?" She eyed Chief Arnook. "If I may put forth a suggestion… Our walls were recently damaged by the Fire Nation ship that came and took my sister. It would be more than worth our re-solidification of our status as allies, if you were to send a few artisans to repair those walls."

Arnook frowned. "Obviously, they would have to be escorted by warriors, which would take away from our defense. Such a trip would take months. Perhaps that is worth more than the mere promise of communication of information that we do not know if we even need."

Katara's lips twisted into a grimace, but Yue cut in. "Father, our warriors need brides." She glanced up at him. "We have many more strong young men than we have available, non-related tribeswomen of an appropriate caste. I am sure that if we met this request, marriages between our tribes could be facilitated, in order to both solidify our alliance and provide brides for our most loyal and skilled warriors, which would also ensure the strength of our future."

'_Smooth, Yue.'_ For such a sweet girl, the princess had a cut-throat grasp of diplomacy.

"How remarkable, for the Southern water tribe has more young women than it has strong young warriors." Katara smiled. This conversation had gone so well that it almost seemed as though she had practiced it with the other girl. "I'm sure that any young man who went on such a trip would find an admirer or two who would otherwise be unable to find a match. We have a large generational gap, after the Southern Raiders. There was a period where very few children were born, and the boys were often pinpointed as benders and taken away from us."

It seemed a bit cold-blooded to all but promise that young southern women would come to stay in the northern tribe… but luckily, Katara didn't really think that would happen. There were a disproportionate number of young women coming of age without boys around- the young men had all left three years ago with the navy.

It would actually benefit her tribe to make it possible for the women under her protection to get married… but there was a good chance that the more liberal, wide-open Southern tribe would be very appealing to Northerner boys. After all, they would be all-but assured a cushy placement in their depleted warrior forces, given plenty of hunting grounds, and their pick of the homes that had stood empty for years. The Northern city was cramped beyond any sense of comfort, but couldn't expand without losing the protection of walls that had been built over the course of hundreds of years. If given a chance to emigrate, some young men definitely would.

Chief Arnook's face twisted in thought, and he stood to pace. With his hands behind his back, he stood to look at the other three. "I will give this proposal thought. In the meantime, I suggest that Katara fetch the Avatar's maps and update them. Pakku, would you assist her in this?"

The old man nodded to his chief.

"Very well. Yue, come. I would like to speak with you."

As the two tribespeople left, Katara absentmindedly summed, "Well, that went well." She heard a snicker behind her and turned to see wicked humor in Pakku's face instead of the usual sour look of disdain.

"Tell me, Katara, do you play Pai Sho?"


	3. Chapter 3

Almost done with the ship arc- Sukka's going free soon. :) Just a warning- I made my timeline with absolutely no attention to the actual Avatar map. So please don't bring me corrections about how I'm obviously geographically confused. I know, I know. I'm just taking glorious free license with geography so I don't have to sit down and map things out.

* * *

Sukka -Two weeks prior

Her second night in the cell had been significantly more pleasant than the first. Still, she was more than ready for her captors to remember that they had planned to arrange alternate living arrangements, because it was not a viable long term solution. She might have slept well that night even if someone hadn't given her more bedding- she was so tired she might have slept in the ocean if someone had shoved her overboard. Sukka's hands hadn't been chained back up after they'd been taken off the first morning, and she had been provided with a mass of extra blankets from storage somewhere. She didn't try to use firebending to warm the room- she huddled into the blankets as thoroughly as possible and tried to keep calm and work on that daring escape plan. She'd always been good at plans. She knew she could get out of this somehow, if she only had more information.

Still, she'd had nightmares that woke her up at least six times-bad dreams about Zuko's men ransacking her village, about Gran-Gran falling in the ice, about the children crying with hunger in her absence, and about Katara being caught by fire nation soldiers when she stepped between them and Aang. Each time, Sukka woke with a gasp, and wrapped her arms around her body for the meager comfort her own touch could provide.

Her own body betrayed her with hunger soon after she woke up- Sukka had always had a large appetite. The Fire Nation soldiers weren't exactly neglecting her, but it was apparently their custom to eat a meal in morning and one in the evening, and have tea in between. That just wasn't quite enough, and her body wasn't used to the schedule yet.

She miserably wondered if she would be enduring breakfast and interrogations with Zuko again. That boy just didn't know when to give up. He hadn't outright insulted her much, but it seemed pretty clear that he viewed her as lesser and wanted her to stay out of arm's reach, and preferably out of his nice, clean cabin. She suspected that their meeting had been engineered by Iroh.

Iroh seemed like the brains behind that operation. He must have decided that some agenda would be best suited by pushing the two of them together, but she wasn't sure what agenda she thought that was yet.

Were they hoping to gain information from her? They'd implied so at that first tea. She would have guessed that Iroh would have had a better chance at gaining her confidence, however- she couldn't help but see him as an Elder, and he had a much kinder demeanor.

She frowned. Of course, Iroh might be planning on Zuko's sharp temper and bone-headed determination working in their favor. Maybe he'd sensed that Zuko frightened her.

Mulishly, Sukka shook that thought away. There was nothing shameful about being wary of someone who had bested you in personal combat, threatened your village, and then made you their prisoner. That wasn't fear… that was a practical response. "Yeah, keep telling yourself that," Sukka muttered to herself.

It wasn't like there was anyone else to talk to.

She'd heard the increase in activity above her head that had signaled Iroh's approach yesterday. If her hypothesis was correct, that would mean it was about dawn.

'_I've gotten off topic,' _Sukka noted_. 'I was forming hypothesis about why Iroh would want me to spend time with Zuko.'_

Pushing her for information could be a secondary goal, in service of some aim she hadn't pinpointed yet. Iroh didn't seem to actually believe that Aang was the Avatar, or that Sukka had much to tell about him.

Sukka was now sure, to be honest, (not that she'd be sharing that anytime soon) that Aang was the Avatar. She was also certain that she knew where he and Katara would be headed, if they weren't already there- the Northern Water Tribe. Again, not something she would share.

Without the information that she possessed and thus far hadn't hinted at, they had no reason to suspect that whatever information she possessed was actually critical. That was a bit of irony Sukka had enjoyed. Still, it seemed more likely that Iroh was mostly humoring Zuko, and had given him charge of the interrogation to keep him occupied. Perhaps he had some sort of agenda that would be best served if Zuko wasn't stomping around scaring the crew? (like avoiding mutiny, her mind supplied cheekily. Zuko's poor attitude wouldn't make him many friends.)

Sukka wasn't optimistic enough to assume that Aang and her sister would be safe from the Fire Nation in the long-term, but it was her duty to protect them as best as she could. She agreed that Zuko was probably the least odious option, so far as Fire Nation troops chasing her baby sister went, but the least odious option was still not nearly as good as not being pursued at all. Since Zuko was hardly about to tell anyone else that there was a prize worth competing for, her sister was safe until Aang did something terribly stupid to endanger his anonymity.

Though she hadn't known the kid long, Sukka gave it about another week until he shouted from the roof tops "I'm the Avatar, wanna come play with me, Fire Nation?", so she really had to get moving on the escape plan.

Iroh could also have had more innocent reasoning for pushing them together- he seemed to get a great deal of amusement out of how much she flustered the older boy.

It seemed a bit ridiculous to think that could be his main objective, but it could be an additional benefit- whether Iroh just enjoyed pushing them together for purposes of amusement, or if he genuinely believed Zuko would benefit from learning about girls.

'_It wouldn't hurt him to learn a little,_' Sukka thought with a wry twist to her lips, from where she was burrowed in the pitiful little bed. "_He's absolutely clueless, and so very __**awkward**_."

Heavy steps sounded in the hall outside her cell, and Sukka silently chalked one victory up to her intuition. She must have been correct about the time… and she'd soon have an opportunity to surreptitiously gather information while someone tried to gather information from her. She half-heartedly hoped it was Zuko- he was sharp, but not as sharp as Iroh.

At absolute best, she'd get packed off with Natsumi. The lieutenant had been funny and tough- Sukka had almost liked her.

The door swung open, and yet another unfamiliar soldier stood there. '_Ugh, how many anonymous-looking soldiers can these guys really have in their employ?_', Sukka wondered, frustrated. _'These Fire Nation jerks look so much alike- pale, light-eyed, and angry.'_

"Follow me, prisoner."

"Good morning to you too," Sukka called back in mock cheer. "I had a great night. Did you sleep well?"

The man gave her a baffled look. "I slept fine?" Then he shook himself. "You're going to have breakfast with the captain."

"The captain," she echoed blankly. "Right. I know who that is. Me and the captain, we're great buddies. Yepp."

The man gave her a pitying look. "Prince Zuko is the captain of this vessel."

Sukka sighed pitifully. "Oh, I see." She gave a long, significant pause. "He's my favorite person. I feel better just being near him, soaking up his aura of general positivity. But sometimes, he's just _too_ cheerful, you know?"

She thought she heard a stifled snicker, but when she turned to look, the man's face was carefully blank.

"Would you give me a moment? I'm still in my sleeping clothes."

The soldier nodded. "I will return in two minutes. Be ready." With that, he stepped outside and clanged the door shut behind him.

"Lovely," she muttered. "now… I just have to get out of bed."

When she realized what she'd said, Sukka pouted. '_But I don't want to get up and chaaaange_,' she whined internally. Then she thought about the alternative- being dragged half-naked to Zuko's cabin again, like she had been yesterday.

"Right," she said, clapping her hands in a business like fashion. "Time to get up."

* * *

Sukka ate her breakfast at an exaggeratedly slow pace, pretending not to notice how impatient and irritated her breakfast partner was. Every time he tried to ask a question, she blinked innocently at him and took another bite. He'd scowl, wait a moment, and then open his mouth to try again. A few times, she deflected him by asking something inane about the dishes they were eating.

Before she was half way done, Zuko was obviously sullen and on the verge of throwing something at the wall.

_'And this guy is supposed to be subtlety gathering information from me_,' she snickered internally. '_If he can't control his temper, it'll be child's play to direct conversation away from anything that could be troublesome.'_

Much as she predicted, Zuko ended up stomping away in a rage, forgetting that he probably should have left her alone in his room. It probably didn't matter- there was a soldier standing outside. She couldn't go anywhere.

It was probably for the best. By now, her various hurts were pounding with pain, and could very well have distracted her when she most needed to keep her head.

Bored, Sukka snooped around. She found writing materials, but no letters or drafts. She admired the sharpness of the curved swords hanging on the wall, found a mirror behind the lone tapestry, and even crawled under his bed (surprisingly dusty, but not concealing any deep, dark secrets). Disgusted by how dull his room was, Sukka pouted and flopped onto his bed.

_'Does it count as useful information that his bed is nicer than mine_?' She sneezed and then tried to wipe the remaining dust off her clothes.

"Well," she said to the empty room, "If I'm just being left to my own devices, who could blame me if I took a little nap?" She yawned. "After all, it would be a shame to waste this comfy bed…" As she curled under the covers, she was surprised to feel a little residual body heat remained, even though he must have been out of bed for an hour. '_Wow, Prince Ponytail must run pretty hot.'_

A short time later, Zuko stormed in, ready for another confrontation. He'd gone for a walk about the deck and talked to the helmsman about the course they were setting in order to cool his head. The time apart from that infuriating girl had given him an opportunity to collect his thoughts and plan his next attempt at information gathering.

His next statement was already on his lips when Zuko strode confidently into his cabin with the door swinging shut behind him. He opened his mouth- and then shut it, confused. "Where… did she go?" Frantically, he started composing ideas of where she might hide on board the ship- would she turn to sabotage- and then he spotted his covers moving slowly. '_Is… she hiding? That's not a very strategic location.'_

He silently crossed the room and flipped the top blanket up, his left hand prepared to counter a surprise attack. It wasn't needed. The water tribe girl was curled up on her side and breathing deeply, hugging his pillow to her chest. '_She even sleeps weird._ _She should __**not**__ be comfortable enough to fall asleep in my cabin when left alone for fifteen minutes_.' Zuko slumped over, frustrated and confused beyond belief. _'I give up on this right now. I refuse to think about it.'_

Feeling tired and utterly sick of having a girl on his ship, Zuko grabbed his usual training clothes and slipped out of the room. "Stay here and make sure she doesn't wander off or get carried away by seagulls, or whatever the hell she manages to do when I'm not looking," he ordered the bemused Marine standing guard. "I'm going to go get some training in."

As his footsteps echoed down the hall, Lieutenant Natsumi curiously peeked into the cabin. She suppressed a smile at the girl sleeping on the Prince's bed. "What a cheeky little brat." She shook her head. "And he let her?" If she'd ever had reason to wonder about how the crabby prince would react to a prisoner taking liberties with his belongings, she certainly wouldn't have guessed that he would have opted to let them nap in peace while he cleared out.

'_Maybe he's feeling guilty about that cell?_' She frowned. Keeping one small girl in that cell did seem rather unnecessarily brutal. '_Perhaps she could bunk with the female Marines. It's not like we have to worry about her, even when sleeping._'

* * *

"Wake up and get out of my room."

Sukka gave a grumble and swatted at the hand that had pulled on her nice warm blanket. Then it grabbed her forearm, and she was suddenly awake.

Sukka yelped in pain and swatted out at the hand gripping her wrist, suddenly wide awake. "Let go!" She scrambled backwards, holding her arm to her chest like Katara would hold a baby bird.

Surprised golden eyes met her gaze, then narrowed in consideration. "Are you hurt?"

"No?", she lied weakly. "I'm great. In fact, I'm so great that I'd like to go back to my nice, cold cell now. Sorry I took your bed." She crawled backwards away from the boy. He'd changed clothes sometime after she fell asleep- which brought up the unnerving point that he must have come in while she was sleeping at least twice without waking her. Instead of the formal clothes that she associated with him, he was in draw-string pants and a thin, sleeveless shirt… and covered in sweat.

'_Eww.' _Suddenly, Sukka was the onefeeling fidgety and strange about proximity to the other teen.

Zuko rolled his eyes. "Don't be stubborn." He grabbed her arm in an instant and she choked back a cry, glaring at him instead. He briskly pushed up the loose sleeve- and then stared in shock at her skin.

Sukka had to admit, it looked pretty impressively ugly by now. She was a little proud, now that she'd seen it- she had been avoiding really looking, hoping it would go away. Between the bruises from being dragged around by soldiers in metal gloves, the one on the back of her forearm from where she'd blocked a blow in that first fight, and her burns, her arms were looking pretty sad and beat up.

"What are these from," he asked with a strange tone. Sukka gave him a weird look. "Uh, I know you have a short memory, being really old and all, but uh, you gave me most of them." She paused deliberately. "Like, two days ago. You might remember visiting my village?" She turned her wrist consideringly. "And the other ones are from those charming cuffs. That line there is from the first night in the cell when I got the bright idea to try to warm up with firebending."

Her captor rubbed at his head tiredly. "That was incredibly stupid of you. A lot of cuffs like that are designed to shatter when they get hot."

Sukka blanched. "I did not know that," she offered weakly.

"The rest of it… is it just bruises?" He glared at her. "When exactly were you going to clue us in that you were hurt?"

Surprised, Sukka blinked once. Then again. "Uh, why would you care? I didn't exactly get the impression my comfort was priority number one."

Her captor muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like a plea for strength when dealing with idiots. "Hey," she objected. "How would I know when you weird people feel like being decent?" She stuck her tongue out at him. "Not like I have much cause to believe you people are reasonable."

Zuko rolled his eyes at her. "When have I ever behaved less than honorably towards you?", he snapped. "And don't say your village- you started that fight, and I wouldn't have had to be confrontational at all if you had just shared what you'd known in the first place."

Dumbfounded, Sukka's mouth dropped open. '_That's a pretty weak justification. Logic is not his strong point.'_

It only took her a moment to gather up enough righteous anger to formulate a coherent reply. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, princess," she snarked, yanking her arm out of his grip. "Can I go now?"

* * *

She'd spent the majority of another day inside that goddamn cell, staring at the walls and ruminating on everything that had gone wrong. Sukka paced when thinking got to be especially painful, feeling like an animal in a cage. Her room had been supplied with a small trunk and a few candles at some point, so at least it wasn't constantly dark.

Sukka let out an amused snort. '_If the redecoration continues at this rate, it'll look like princess ponytail's cabin in a few weeks.'_

Somehow she doubted it would get that far, but still.

The nightmares hadn't gotten any better. Even during the day, all she could think about was Katara. She would have been alright, if she'd only known that her sister was okay. Not knowing what had happened was driving Sukka up the walls with stress. The brilliant escape plan hadn't progressed any further- she'd been led up to the deck twice now, and they appeared to be in the exact center of nowhere. Sukka could hardly fly away, so she was stuck waiting for an opportunity when they docked. Perhaps they'd be less observant in the hustle of unloading?

It was a weak plan and entirely contingent on massive screw-ups by people who had so far appeared to be very competent, but it was all she had planned.

_'I bet Katara and Aang are halfway to the North Pole by now,'_ she mused, ignoring the fidgeting Marine who was trying to coax her to leave the room, likely so he wouldn't get yelled at by Zuko. '_Not that I really know how quickly magic mammals fly, and how much endurance they have… but it seemed to be quite a bit faster than this ship. And they didn't have to work around coastlines and continents- it'd be a straight shot up.'_

Her thoughts were interrupted when her pacing led her dangerously close to walking into a wall when the ship tilted. The confined space was driving her absolutely nuts. Sukka had always been a physical person, and there had always been more to do than there was time to do it. She had to hunt, fish, practice firebending, work through what she remembered of boomerang and spear katas, keep an eye on Katara, and help out Gran-Gran whenever she could.

Here… she had breakfast with Zuko, had tea in her cell, then dinner four hours later. In between eating, she slept and tried to run through workouts in her limited space. It was stupidly hard- she didn't have her weapons, and she could only firebend for a few minutes before the small room heated up intolerably. It was not the most scintillating schedule.

She had considered sleeping because she just didn't have anything else to do, and it sort of seemed like it was constantly night when she couldn't see the sun. She missed the sun.

Suddenly, she wondered if firebenders would really be so cruel as to keep her indoors, away from the light. She frowned. They wouldn't, would they? Even she knew what that could do to a firebender- they'd know even better, and they didn't seem to actually intend to harm her. Maybe they were a bit indifferent to her hurts, but that wasn't the same thing as taking amusement in her pain.

Zuko had actually seemed a little alarmed, maybe even guilty about how bad her arms had looked. She swallowed the fond exasperation that rose up at the thought- because **hell,** if that didn't remind her of Katara. So passionate, so eager to do whatever had popped into her head, and then always surprised that there were consequences. Every single time, she was surprised again.

'_Of course, she's much nicer than he is,'_ she loyally thought. Then she frowned. '_Why am I wasting time thinking about him, when I could be gathering my thoughts and trying to come up with a plan? I'm good at plans.'_

Unfortunately, she had very little information to go off of so far. They were quite organized here, and she could already tell that they abided by a strict schedule. They woke up at dawn, ate twice, and judging by the shouts and fast movement abovehead, they did some sort of firebending drills every single day, sometimes multiple times. It was boring- they were boring. She hadn't seen her tentative buddy Natsumi since that first night- or hadn't recognized her if she had. There didn't seem to be reason or logic behind when they did and didn't wear the full uniform, but Sukka probably just hadn't figured out the pattern yet.

By the time someone came to bring her tea, (a strangely civil custom to extend to a prisoner) Sukka was about ready to snap. Zuko had all but given up at getting any information from her by the end of breakfast that morning, and she thought that they'd be done with those soon. Sukka had realized that he was better at getting her to talk than she'd thought at first- (he'd gotten her to admit that Aang hadn't left the village alone, and admitted that she disliked the boy), so she'd instead fallen into a sullen silence, punctuated only by mild insults and pointed comments about the food (it was the same as yesterday's).

* * *

"Uncle, getting information out of that girl isn't working." Zuko resisted the urge to run his hands through his hair. That would be undignified. "She isn't even pretending to cooperate anymore.

The baffled undertone in his voice was almost enough to make Iroh laugh, but he kept a straight face. "What do you suggest, Prince Zuko?"

"You should talk to her," came the immediate response. "She seemed to trust you more. You put people at ease. I just make them angry." The last part was growled.

Iroh repressed sadness at that blunt assessment- it was true that his nephew had a talent for rousing the unpleasant emotions in others, but he was a nice boy, really. "Perhaps she is understimulated," Iroh suggested gently. "We are not a cruise ship, and are thusly not designed for entertainment. But it might be possible to improve her mood by giving her something to do. Private Waki has mentioned that she has become strangely lethargic. Perhaps she is not getting enough sunlight? The girl is a firebender, after all. Being away from Agni's blessing and unable to bend for even such a short period could have a negative effect, especially on someone untrained and undisciplined."

Zuko seemed to consider the point. "That makes sense. She's been getting ruder and ruder by the hour".

Everyone within earshot bit their lips, careful not to show any amusement at the irony inherent in that statement.

Iroh merely inclined his head. "Perhaps you could lead her through some meditations, or basic katas? After all, teaching is one of the best ways to master a subject, and it would be irresponsible of us to leave an untrained bender among our people when we leave her at the port. She could hurt somebody."

"How far are we?"

"Well, we are going to try this port, right here." Iroh pointed out a location on the stretched-out map. "If we cannot get everything we need, we may have to make a stop here, here, or here."

Zuko turned his head to see the selected locations better. "Kyoshi Island? Why would we go there?"

Iroh hummed. "It would serve multiple purposes, nephew! First of all, I have a very dear friend there, who I would like to play a game of Pai Sho with." Before Zuko could interject, he added, "Kyoshi Island's neutral stance has led to them being a bit of an economic juggernaut, and we could get the materials to replace our damaged hull before it becomes an issue. It would also be an excellent location to leave our firebender friend, if we do not have the heart to take her to prison."

Zuko rolled his eyes. "It would almost be cruel to inflict her upon unsuspecting wardens."

"On that note, perhaps I will join the two of you for dinner this morning." Iroh flipped a pai sho piece between his fingers consideringly. "I think that if you were to upset her, she would be very likely to lose her tongue and confide in a sympathetic figure."

On the bridge, silence reigned.

"Uncle, sometimes I forget what a frighteningly manipulative person you are." Marines nodded in agreement. "Hey wait, why do I always have to be the bad guy?!"

* * *

After having been left in an empty room instead of brought dinner in the cell, Sukka grudgingly admitted that she wasn't going to be able to get back to sleep. Instead, she decided to snoop- she hadn't been left alone in this room before. It was much more interesting than the grump's cabin- aside from the low table where they would probably eat, there were a couple of chests and some tapestries. There weren't any spooky mirrors hidden behind these, (was Zuko just secretly vain or something?). But she did find a grated ventilation port behind a depiction of a blue dragon over a mountain, and remembered it for later. It was actually relatively big.

The smallest chest had been filled with papers- old letters, blank pages, and ribbon-tied scrolls with katas, history lessons, calligraphy practice and all manner of things. She slipped two smaller scrolls with firebending moves into the waistband of her pants for perusal later when she got bored. Some of the letters were written in codes, and one remarkably confusing one appeared to be some sort of dessert recipe- it had to be a really good code. Either that or these guys had weird hobbies for royalty.

The next chest she tried was locked, and she couldn't get it open no matter what she tried. She'd given thought to heating the metal, but now probably wasn't the time to learn that skill and give away her snooping. She had awkwardly grabbed the sides and shook it- it was definitely heavier than it would have been if it were paper like the last one, and she was pretty sure she heard metal crashing about.

The last trunk was full of junk- there was no other way to describe it. There were tiny string and wind instruments of foreign make, toys, little figurines of soldiers, severely outdated maps, and even what appeared to be a petrified piece of cake.

Fire Nation dudes were apparently not the best housekeepers.

With some effort, Sukka had leveraged herself up to the high porthole, trying to judge how wide it was in comparison to her shoulders. Sadly, it became clear that she wouldn't fit, and the other windows were likely made to this standard size. Bummer.

She peeled up the edges of the ornate rugs and found an old receipt – perhaps this had served as an officer's quarters in the past? She wasn't sure she understood the shorthand, but it had been made in the Earth Kingdom. Then the door opened. Sukka let the edge of the rug drop guiltily and turned to see that both Zuko and Iroh were in the doorway.

"ah… Hello."

Zuko gave her a dirty look.

Once they were all civilly seated around the table, a knock sounded on the door. It was just a marine bringing breakfast and tea- and really, wasn't that a ridiculous use of elite warriors?

Zuko pointedly poured for all three of them, giving Sukka an evil eye when she twitched in the direction of the teapot.

"So, Miss Sukka. How do you like your tea?"

"It's fine."

"You damn me with weak praise! Perhaps we should try a different brew. I'm sure I can find something that will impress."

She shrugged, feeling wiped out and mopey. Weakly, she clacked her chopsticks around in her bowl, not feeling particularly interested in food, even though she knew she was hungry.

The two males exchanged a look.

"I think we should talk about your accommodations." Iroh patted his belly. "Where you are now is a short-term solution at best, and you are likely to remain on this ship for a few more weeks."

Sukka looked up, actually interested in this topic. "You've decided what to do with me?"

"That's contingent on what information we get from you," Zuko cut in. "You know something about where that airbender was going. You might not even know the full extent of what you know. We need that information in order to find him- he's the best lead we have on the Avatar."

She leaned back in her seat. "I'm not seeing the connection here."

"Well, you fall in limbo between regulations." Zuko shrugged. "Fire Nation policy covers firebenders born outside the territories, and benders of enemy nations, but you could be considered either. It would be ridiculous to lock you up with waterbenders, but you are also too old to be integrated through adoption by a Fire Nation family. Really, where you go from now depends on you. If you prove hostile, we'll have to have you locked up. If you are helpful, or at least neutral, there would be a fair case for leaving you in one of our occupied territories or a neutral one, where you can start over again as a productive citizen."

She bit the inside of her cheek, not trusting words. '_That's a dirty trick.'_

If she gave them all she knew, they'd hunt Aang, putting Katara in danger. Unacceptable.

If she said nothing at all, she would go to Fire Nation prison and be unable to find her sister or get home. Also unacceptable.

However… if she played this right, she might be able to give them enough accurate but misleading or useless information that they thought she was being cooperative and thus released her, allowing her to find Katara and Aang before they did.

That was risky- Iroh was canny, and Zuko had a dangerous intelligence in his own way.

"We have until we dock to make repairs and supplies to see what road life takes us on," Iroh deflected, once the silence had stretched too long. "I think that we should talk about your room. Unless you are particularly enjoying your stay in that …cabin," he said delicately, "I believe that it might be best to have you move into the cabin with the female Marines. We have only five ladies on board, which, conveniently enough, leaves space for another cot!"

"That sounds fine," she agreed dully. Then she frowned. "What, you're not going to keep me locked up all the time anymore?"

Iroh smiled pleasantly. "I think that such treatment is unnecessary. After all, you are a political prisoner, not a pirate!" He laughed at his own joke, and Sukka smiled politely, with rather more edge than was necessary.

'_I could channel my inner pirate, if need be.'_

"So how does being a political prisoner differ from being the water tribe savage in the Avatar's reserved room?"

Even Iroh looked a bit taken aback at that bit of bluntness, she noticed gleefully.

"Well.." He coughed. "Practically speaking, there is no need to keep you locked up all hours of the day. You would sleep and eat with the crew, and spend your time in one of a few designated areas. If you stray from those areas, you would be confined again. Just as a precaution." He took a sip of his tea. "You would have to swear -by Tui and La, in your case, to adhere to certain standards as an honorable enemy. Essentially, you are agreeing to commit no sabotage, attempted escape, or general nefarious deeds of any kind. Deviant behavior would either result in the cessation of your improved status or, at worst, retribution upon your tribe. After all, I am told that you surrendered willingly under the assumption that doing so would prevent any further harm from coming to your home. Escaping would nullify that agreement and sully your honor."

_'That's a remarkably convenient system of morality. So you think you can emotionally blackmail me into doing what you want? Honor appears to be a big thing in the Fire Nation, but their honor is strange.'_

"I suppose I can agree to that," she said lightly. "I wasn't getting very far on the daring escape plan, anyways." After all, there was no harm in agreeing to have more freedom, especially if she disagreed with their assessment of the implications of her surrender.

The air at the table relaxed. "Excellent!" Iroh clapped his hands together. "Now I suppose we can go back to our old topic- what you can tell us about the airbender in your village. Please, take your time to gather your thoughts."

Zuko looked significantly less patient than Iroh at this point- he was practically vibrating with excess energy, as if he thought he could shake her until secrets fell out of her hair.

Hmm.

Is there harm in them knowing that Aang and Katara are headed to the Northern Water Tribe? She curled her hands around her teacup consideringly. What would they do with that information? They wouldn't tell anyone else- they seemed to be outside the regular chain of command. Two Fire Nation royals on a decade old ship definitely had something to prove. Perhaps some sort of coming-of-age quest for Zuko, or a vanity project.

She frowned- that wasn't quite right, it didn't seem to fit with the preoccupation with honor. Then again, she reminded herself, they didn't understand honor in the same terms the water tribe did, so she couldn't rule that out either.

Would they go to the Northern tribes? Certainly not with just one ship- that'd be a suicide mission. Perhaps if they had a fleet of Fire Nation ships, or could go undercover on a Water Tribe or Earth Nation trading vessel, but that still was a problem they would have to share with other sources, who would be likely to horn in on their project. So they were unlikely to follow them north. What would they do, then? Try to figure out where the Avatar would go next and ambush them? Highly unlikely- there was almost no way to track a boy who could fly. Then again…

If they didn't know he had that flying snot monster, then they would assume that Aang could be pinned in one of three likely locations traveling to the Earth Kingdom for his next teacher. She felt a devious grin coming on, but kept the mirth off her face.

It was probably safe to let them know Aang had headed North, then, and it would be even more so if their understanding of the timeline this would require was skewed. How long would it take Aang to master water bending? He had claimed to have been an airbending prodigy and have completed training in record time. He must have been great to have been a master by age twelve. He'd probably get the next element faster than Katara, who had no training at all- he had done so in a hundred lifetimes before. If he was willing to train her while they traveled, Aang couldn't probably whip through that training in a matter of weeks. It would take the Fire Nation almost that long to get back up north after ditching their supplies…

Would they make the same assumptions about the speed of Aang's training that she was, if they figured out that he was the avatar? They didn't know what he'd told Sukka about the speed of his training, but they might assume that Avatars learnt fast.

She definitely wished that she hadn't already confessed that his traveling companion was his sister. Not only were a bald boy and a water tribe girl an unusual and identifiable traveling pair, but that had opened up the possibility for them to use Katara against her, or vice versa. They'd already shown a lack of compunctions about manipulation. Of course, Iroh hadn't been there, and there was always the chance that Zuko hadn't shared the information. It seemed like a rather minor detail, to be sure.

_'Will they be expecting total compliance or trickery from me,_' she wondered. '_Am I going to have to do some acting to fool them into thinking I've told them everything?'_

"Please, take your time," Zuko deadpanned, looking bored.

She tilted her head up in a dignified manner in order to look down on him. "I need time to think this over."

"Of course," Zuko agreed. He stood. "I'll go see to it that your things are moved and the Marines informed as to the change in your status."

* * *

The next morning out on the deck Zuko panted, trying to catch his breath. He knew what was coming, regardless…

"The power in firebending comes from your breath, not your muscles! Master your breath." Iroh took a sip of his tea, watching impassively from his position on the upper deck.

His training opponent gave a neck stretch, trying not to wince. Thirty-something year old men weren't meant to have to undergo energetic spars with sixteen year olds, especially not imperial firebenders. Zuko wasn't a great bender compared to his scary family- but what Iroh considered the basics was quite a bit above the bare minimum for a firebender to be accepted into the Marines- the most demanding branch of the Fire Nation's forces.

And there was very little appeal in being Zuko's training partner. He imagined it felt rather like being batted around by a baby dragon.

'_Is that why they call the royal family dragons_?', Jee wondered, not for the first time. '_Or is it just vanity?' _If Zuko was any example, the royals were certainly predatory enough to pass for exceptionally small, angry dragons. And General Iroh was internationally known as the Dragon of the West, partially for his flame-breathing, a trick he was teaching Zuko.

He'd probably never know. A moment later, Jee dodged a standard opening blast with a sidestep, dreaming of the wonderful day he got to end this particular duty. It was rather above and beyond the contracted terms of his enlistment. If he'd known that the promotion to captain would come with being smacked around every day for three years by an imperial firebender, he might have taken a less favorable posting. Like most of the staff, Jee had joined the quickly-assembled crew for the chance to serve under the famed Dragon of the West (even if it wasn't technically under him).

When he was done with morning practice, Zuko stomped disgustedly to his quarters to clean up and change his clothes. As soon as he was done, he hurried back to meet his uncle. He'd had an idea about why that airbender might have been at the South Pole.

"Say that again?"

"What if the airbending avatar died? He must have stayed out of the war for a reason- likely because airbenders are pacifists. But it's been a hundred years. He could have died. If he was living in some secret airbending enclave, they would send someone out to look for the next avatar if he died. And the Water tribes are next in the reincarnation cycle." Zuko paced in the cabin anxiously. He tried not to look too manic, but probably failed when he threw his hands up and declared, "It all fits!"

Iroh valiantly tried not to giggle. Judging by the glare, he wasn't entirely successful. His pouting nephew quickly got over it, however. "It makes sense! That would explain why he left when he saw that there were no little kids at the Southern Water tribe!"

"Ah, nephew." Iroh wiped away a tear of mirth. "Don't be hasty, now. That is a good theory, but we cannot assume it is true. Besides, it does not account for the fact that you learned that this airbender had been banished from that village." He paused and frowned. "Come to think of it, I do know what a water tribe would banish a person for. Did anyone say? I don't know much about water tribe laws, but I can't think of anything they might banish a child for off-hand."

"Maybe he scared away the polardogs," Zuko shrugged. "Of course, I think the girl said he was the one who set off that flare in an ice ship. That might be enough to do it."

"Ah." Iroh nodded sagely. "We shall see what she has to say tomorrow, then."

"Tomorrow? Why not tonight?"

"Don't be too hasty, young man. A blossom harvested early will never fully bloom. Besides, we have arrangements to make. We will hit the port for repairs the day after tomorrow." He paused, unsure about the wisdom of sharing the next point, but he continued. "I believe that we will be dealing with our old friend Zhao." He actually grimaced. "It might be best if we keep the crew from communicating with his men, especially about our prisoner. Zhao is known for chasing glory. If he realizes we have a lead on the possibility of surviving airbenders… well, I don't know what he would do, but I can think of several options. I do not like any of them."

Zuko made a face.

* * *

It was much nicer to stay with the lady Marines in their minimalistic barracks than her previous placement. It was warmer, for one. Granted, they had sailed far enough south by now that her room would probably have been fine, but she still didn't like it.

The vaguely- friendly Marine named Natsumi had set her up with a bunk and walked with her to her meals for the next couple of days. The nobles were apparently too busy to be bothered with her, which was fine by Sukka.

She hadn't had enough time alone to really look at the firebending scrolls she'd grabbed from that trunk, but she was pretty anxious to get to it. Being defeated with embarrassing ease by a trained bender had reinforced the lesson that she needed at least rudimentary skills in order to fight benders on their own terms- she had a knack for picking up weapons, but nowhere near the skill and experience to mitigate the advantage of a bender's flexible weaponry .

Hopefully she'd pick something up from watching these jerks, or be able to sneak the scrolls off the ship with her. It seemed unlikely that they'd go looking for two specific scrolls, but there was always a chance.

Iroh was a crafty looking bastard, and the worshipful way the crew looked at him put her on edge. And Zuko was just obsessive and anal-retentive enough that for all she knew he counted his belongings before bed after brushing his beautiful silken hair a hundred times. (she totally wasn't jealous of anything, whoever implied that would be an idiot).

"Pay attention, kid." Natsumi thumped the top of Sukka's head with her fist.

"Oww!" she cried exaggeratedly, wiping away fake tears. "You're a bully."

"I'm a Fire Navy Marine, I don't bully. I merely utilize superior force and impeccable style to overwhelm brats who don't pay attention when I tell them that they get to dine with the fancy people tonight. What the hell did you do?" She gave a gravelly chuckle.

"I don't know!" Sukka threw her arms up. "They're all, how would you like to sit through a billion awkward tea times while we unsubtly probe you for information you don't have? And then I'm all, no thank you, how about you unkidnap me and I'll go do my happy things. And then-"

…"while they 'probe you', you say. That's unnecessarily informative and a little too ris-"

"You're disgusting!" Sukka pointed accusingly at Natsumi, who outright laughed at her repulsed expression. "I can't believe- oh kami, just, no, no, no!" She flopped to the floor and put her palms over her ears, retroactively trying to prevent the words and rude implication from reaching her brain. It didn't work, and she gave Natsumi a sour look. "We can't be friends now."

"You're breaking my heart, kitten. Now get the hell out of here." She gave the teen a flat look that implied the fun was over. "Seriously, scram. I have plans that don't involve babysitting."

"What, a hot date with your hand?" Sukka dodged the smack aimed at her head.

"You caught me," the older woman deadpanned. "I assume you can find your way. If not, I'll have to send word to your fancy friends that you don't want to come. Then the Captain'll come and scold you."

"You're a mean person. He's really grumpy."

"It would be disrespectful and mildly treasonous for me to verbally agree with that remark, but I'm also not a liar." Natsumi pushed her out the door with one hand. "Don't have more fun than I would."

She tried not to seem too obviously unnerved at the skull-face helmets swiveling to watch her passage through the ship's underbelly. It was totally bizarre to start to perceive these Fire Nation jerks as real people, and then see them in those dehumanizing masks again.

Just being around these marines was weird. She'd spent her whole life hearing second-hand about how stupid and inhumane the Fire Nation was, and imagining what sort of monsters she might be descended from. She didn't know if it was relieving or disturbing to realize that they were much like water tribe people (except for being stupidly tall, with the exception of the dumpy general).

It was easier not to think about it, until she fell into bantering with Natsumi like her father had with Bato. Like warriors did. And then Sukka had to think about the rather disturbing issue that the Fire Nation marines didn't seem to be all that different from her tribesmen.

_'Granted, we probably would have whacked Prince Ponytail with a stick if he were ever that disrespectful to an elder, but the others seem… well, they seem like people.'_

The implications of that thought weren't lost on Sukka.

In some selfish, scared way, she was glad to have positive views of the Fire Nation. If they weren't all monsters, then maybe she wasn't half monster. Of course, her rapist father definitely had been, but good people could be related to bad people. The Southern Water Tribe didn't have much in the way of bad people due to their innovative 'push them off the ice' strategies, but Sukka intellectually knew that deviant behavior happened anywhere.

On the other hand, her observations counteracted her elders' teachings, and that was an uncomfortable fact to swallow. Holding a dissenting opinion seemed akin to declaring she knew better than her more experienced family. In the Water Tribe, elders and teachers were highly respected. Was it just that relations between the nations had been so bad for so long that the Southern Water Tribe had no memory of the Fire Nation being anything other than violent?

The other possibility was that the misconception that the Fire Nation was intrinsically different from the others had been intentionally fostered because it would make fighting them easier. Sukka almost wished she could think that way again- if she escaped, she wouldn't really want to hurt or kill any of the people she had met on the ship. Fighting was fine, sure, and she intellectually knew that a war couldn't end without some bloodshed. But it seemed so wrong to make that decision about people she couldn't write off as 'evil.'

_'That's probably why the warriors are taught that the Fire Nation isn't like us,_' she thought wryly. _'It's soul-crushing otherwise._' She rolled her eyes at her own naivety. '_I can't believe I never realized before that there must be Fire Nation children and non-combatants. They can't all be faceless monsters.'_

True or not, she still had duties as a warrior. Regardless of her personal feelings, everyone on this ship was an enemy of her family and homeland. The battle waiting for her in the tea room wasn't a physical one, however. It was made more difficult by the vaguely-remembered lore that master benders of any type could spot lies. It might not be true, but if it was and she was caught lying, they would be able to more accurately gather information from her. If Gran-Gran could spot a lie at fifty paces, why not a Fire Nation elder?

So, essentially, she had to lie with the truth.

"Have you sorted out your information?"

Sukka paused. It might be easier to start if she knew exactly what they knew… that way, she could minimize the damage and avoid spilling anything more than necessary. She had no idea what any of the villagers could have told them, after all. If they knew too much, she'd clam up instead of give them more clues. If they knew little, she could redirect their search. "What exactly do you already know? I hate to repeat myself."

Zuko held up a finger for each point. "There was an adolescent air bender in your village, or someone who appeared to be one. He claimed that airbenders aren't extinct. He was banished. Your little sister went with him."

Sukka valiantly held back a triumphant expression. If he had realized that the location Aang had been found was significant, he would have mentioned it in his recitation. They didn't know that Aang had been frozen- she had been panicked when she'd told them that he'd been found in the ice, and wasn't sure what exactly she had said or what conclusions they would draw. If they had no idea he'd been frozen, then they would assume that he could not be the avatar, and that he was from some hidden group of airbenders. Even if they caught up with Aang, it was possible that he could deflect them to search for a non-existent enclave for the avatar.

'_Overwhelm them with useless and misleading information'_, she decided.

"Well, that's most of what I know. I ran into him while fishing in ice fields north-west from our village. He said he'd come from the Western air temple, and befriended my sister. They went off to go play with the polar-dogs and the penguins. While I was busy back at the village, they wandered off and found an iced Fire Nation ship. My sister knew it was there and that she was forbidden from going near it, but he convinced her it would be 'brave' to explore it and they accidentally set off a flare. I assume that you saw that. I figured out what had happened, hypothesized that said airbender was either a spy or a moron, and that we didn't want him in the village either way. I told him to never come back, and my sister got upset and ran off with him."

_'if that doesn't mislead, I don't know what will. Please don't ask me for names or descriptions.'_

"That must have been upsetting," Iroh said in a tone that implied he sympathized with her. "Why would your sister run off? Do you know where she would go?"

'_Very subtle, old man. Not.'_

"She thought that I was overreacting." Sukka shrugged harmlessly. "She's always been willful. And she misses family we haven't seen in years very much. She's always wanted to visit the north pole, where my grandmother came from."

'…_which would imply that only Katara wants to go there, that she isn't a bender, and that we have living family in the North Pole. Even if they believe the kids stayed together, they wouldn't dare go to the North Pole without a full armada. If they had access to those resources, they'd be using them. So instead of going to the North Pole, they'll try to head the kids off at a port where they could get cheap transport far north, as anyone without a magic flying snot-monster would have to do.'_

Her last assumption was based on the hope that this Fire Nation crew would be aware that catching Aang would be harder if others were searching for him in hopes of getting to the Avatar first. Iroh almost certainly knew human nature well enough to be wary of sharing that information.

"Do you think that she will be alright?"

And instantly, Sukka wasn't calm and detached. She'd planned the next part in careful detail to distract from the fact that she wasn't going to answer the question or talk about her sister at all, but her emotional upset wasn't entirely an act. "How the hell would I know!" She slammed a palm down on the table, shaking the tea. The two males jumped in surprise. "I can hardly go after her, can I?" Truly miserable, she readjusted from her cross-legged position and pulled her knees up to her chest. "She's just a little girl, she doesn't know how to stay safe or deal with Earth Kingdom money or get a boat."

_'All true statements, just irrelevant when traveling through the sky'._

"I did not mean to upset you, my dear. I merely meant to express concern."

She turned her face away, not wanting to look at either of them. "Is there anything else you want to know?"

'_They won't want to ask about her further. If they don't have her name or physical description, she'll be safer.'_

Socially clueless Zuko leapt into the verbal fray. "Can you describe this airbender? How did you know he was an airbender? What is his personality like? Did he say where he and the other airbenders had been hiding and how they survived?"

Sukka blinked. "I didn't know you could talk that much," she said honestly. At the scowl, she shrugged. "Anyway. He was on the short side, and pretty immature. He wore what I assume were some sort of traditional orange colored clothes- they definitely were not weather appropriate. He must have been using some sort of airbending trick, or he would have frozen in minutes. The first thing he said to me was asking if I wanted to go play with the penguins. He didn't say anything about other airbenders, except that they were alive."

'_Even though he's wrong, he did say that.'_

She hmmed, trying to think over what she'd said and if there was anything left to say. "Uh, I think that's pretty much it."

"Did he know that the men of your tribe were gone?"

Sukka gave Zuko a sharp look, wondering what conclusions he'd drawn about that. She'd hoped he might think the men were merely off hunting or something- she didn't want to implicate them in their three-year long raiding trip. "Not when he arrived, but soon after he must have noticed."

"How old are the youngest children in your village?"

Brow wrinkled, Sukka examined this statement, flipped it upside down and still couldn't make any sense of it. She didn't see the harm in answering either, though. "Okay, now you're just being weird. I don't know, two years old?"

The two Fire Nation royals exchanged significant glances. '_Wow, they're so weird_,' Sukka decided. "You have been very helpful, Miss Sukka," Iroh said. "Thank you for your candidness. I must say, I am impressed by your mind for detail."

She wordlessly accepted the compliment and nodded for him to continue. The old man looked at his nephew for a bare second before he spoke again. "I believe that it will not be necessary to leave you in Fire Nation custody, but we cannot allow you to return to a nation state with which we are at war. We will leave you at Kyoshi Island after we leave the naval base where we must stop tomorrow for repairs. This will satisfy the letter of the law stating that firebenders born on foreign soil should live in colonies or neutral areas."

"Okay, thanks." As she turned and left, she finally let herself smile.

_'Hook, line, and sinker. That wasn't so hard. I can't believe they think I'll stay on some random island.'_

After she left, Zuko raised an eyebrow demandingly. "Well?"

"She didn't lie." Iroh shrugged. "Of course, that doesn't mean we can be sure of your theory that the old airbender has died," he cautioned.

Zuko stood. "It wouldn't matter anyway," he dismissed. "Either way, our only course of action is to find this supposed airbender. He'd be the only one who could lead us to the airbending avatar who managed to hide for a hundred years, and the only one looking for a waterbending avatar."

* * *

"FREEEDOM!" Sukka bounced up and down on her heels, ignoring the dirty looks she was getting from the Marines in casual clothing around her. "What are you looking at?"

"I thought we were leaving you at the next port, kid." Natsumi jostled her with an elbow. "Isn't that why I'm supposed to be babysitting you?"

"I'm way too old and mature to be babysat." She stuck her tongue out at the older woman. Sukka adjusted her weight to one leg and used the other foot to tap impatiently on the deck. "And yes, I'm leaving you weirdoes at the next port, but that doesn't make me any less glad to get off that stupid boat for a while, before you drop me off at a less lame location."

"It's a **_ship_**," some woman she didn't know mumbled fiercely.

The group came to attention – the lines were beginning to move. The ship had pulled into the port a few minutes ago, and the fifteen marines who didn't get shore leave –about half the total crew- were grumpily going through their duties. In the distance, an official-looking group waited on the shore.

"Lieutenant, keep her out of trouble. I don't want Zhao to know we have a prisoner." Zuko gave Sukka a fierce look. "Behave." The statement would have been more appropriate had it been addressed to a polar-dog.

Sukka jumped. "La, you're sneaky. Where the hell did you come from?" She eyed him with grudging approval. She'd heard the crew mumble about how hard it was to get anything around him, but she'd thought that meant he had really good hearing. Maybe he was just a ninja.

Natsumi hit the back of her head with a flat palm. "I can't imagine why you want her kept away from Captain Zhao, sir."

"Right," he said dryly, clearly not entertained. "Here." He tossed over a small pouch of coins. "Get her some clothes that fit. Keep the rest as reward for tolerating her on your shore leave." As he stalked off, looking more like a large bipedal predator than a person, Sukka rolled her eyes. _'I'm more and more impressed by his lack of social skills every time I see him. He's less intimidating than I thought, and more awkward. At least he knows enough to reward her for wasting her shore leave._' She paused for a moment.

"What do you bet that paying you was Iroh's idea?"

"**_General_** Iroh's idea," three marines corrected simultaneously. They eyed each other for a moment, and then one man shrugged. "Why would you even ask that?"

"New kid," one burly looking woman scoffed.

As they'd talked, the two royals and a small escort had reached the end of the gangplank and met with the group of waiting officials. Natsumi subtly pointed one out. "That's Captain Zhao. He's an important man."

He looked like an unpleasant man.

Her initial impression seemed to be confirmed as their group shuffled closer, out of sight of the important people. He seemed to be taunting Iroh and Zuko. Sukka leaned forward in disbelief, trying to hear more than just the tone and occasional word. '_I thought the kid was a prince? How arrogant does someone have to be to talk down to their own royalty?' _The only other explanation was that he somehow outranked the other two- maybe they were severely in disfavor with the ruling Lord? She bit the inside of her cheek thoughtfully. That might explain why their boat was so much smaller than what she saw in the harbor here. Sure, it was impressive by water tribe standards, but the Southern Water Tribe was a people who built everything out of ice and no longer had waterbenders.

There might have been something to the decision to keep her away from that guy. Sukka was less than diplomatic, and that guy looked like bad news.

The time on shore was illuminating. It was the first time she'd set foot on land outside of her home, and Sukka soaked it up like a sponge. It would have been infinitely preferable if her trip hadn't been because she'd been dragged from her home, but it was still worth looking around before they left her (like the saps they were) and she went right back south.

Commerce surprised her. She had known intellectually that the trade that Earth Kingdom ships occasionally brought to her home was more common in the Earth Kingdom, but it was her first real experience immersed in a community with economy. The Southern Water tribe lived communally- there was no point in even bartering, when everyone pooled their resources and committed as much as they could to the group.

There were people in Fire Nation uniforms and fatigues everywhere. She frowned for a moment, wondering if that was normal, before she remembered that this was a military base. '_So it's not really like being in the Earth Kingdom after all,_' she sulked. In retrospect, the enormous gate probably should have clued her in.

Nonetheless, she happily choked down spicy treats that her companion recommended, played with strange trinkets she couldn't begin to identify, and was eventually dragged by force into a seamstress's stall.

'_It was strangely considerate of Prince Ponytail to make sure I didn't have to travel across the Earth Kingdom in Fire Nation clothes,'_ she mused while flipping through some hanging clothes on display. _'That would probably be an excellent way to get beat up. Of course, he might just want his clothes back._' She shrugged at her own monologue. That could be, but it seemed unlikely. He couldn't possibly fit into what she was wearing anymore. He was probably just terrible at being a villain. Her initial fright at his presence and quick temper had faded when she realized how reluctant he was to actually hurt anyone- his bark was far scarier than his bite. He hadn't hurt anyone at the village except for her, and her bruises were gone by now. And if her disrespect couldn't make him lose his temper enough to hurt her, then he was either a secret pacifist or he had much better self-control than all the yelling indicated.

"Everything here is so weird," she groused, helpless staring at the fabric in front of. Everything Sukka knew about what made clothing warm and water proof was no good here, and she didn't know what standards to judge Earth Kingdom appropriate clothing by, or how typical the current temperature was. For all she knew it'd snow in two weeks while she was probably still looking for a ship to take her home.

Even the colors were weird. There were a lot of reds, blacks, greys, and some tan and green items interspersed in the Fire-Nationy garb. She was willing to guess that red was a bad idea, so she avoided it. That didn't mean she could pass up the pink crop-top she found- it was apparently styled after costumes from some big circus, but she didn't care. It was weather appropriate and she'd never seen a color like it before.

The rest of her purchases were plainer- two pairs of grey pants, a brown skirt, and an assortment of loose-fitting green tops. The tailor had somehow located a pair of sandals that was much more weather appropriate than her missing boots, so Sukka took them gratefully. Then she hurried back outside- the Lieutenant was clearly impatient. For all her bravado, Sukka didn't want to inconvenience the other woman, nor tick off Zuko.

It was a shame to have to get back onto the boat. Sukka wasn't the only one dragging her feet up the gangplank. She did take the time to notice a shiny metal patch job on the hull, and boxes stacked on the deck to be put away.

"Hey, what's that stuff?"

Natsumi turned to check, looking unimpressed. "Supplies, of course. Probably coal for the engine room- there's a mine nearby. We'll need to stop and resupply on galley supplies soon, but this base is a poor place for it. Someone probably sent a supply request on by hawk to our next stop, and it'll be ready by the time we get there. That's how this is usually done." She turned away, and it was clear she was done speaking.

* * *

Katara clenched Appa's fur tightly between white-knuckled fingers as they spiraled into the creepy looking swamp. They'd been planning on going in, but would have landed even if they hadn't intended to. Some bizarre sort of air- based attack had sent Appa careening down. She had been near the edge of the saddle, and was currently hanging straight up in the air while he fell on his side. "Aang!" Panic swelled her throat shut, but he managed to maneuver where she could see him. She relaxed- he was falling more slowly than she was.

When they hit, Appa roared in shock and discomfort. The swamp water was cold, but at least it broke his fall. An instant later, Katara bounced off of his furry belly, hanging in the air for a surreal instant as she let go of her grip in shock, and went into the dank water with a splash. She sat up, and immediately wanted to cry. Their carefully packed supplies were scatted in the swamp, and some of it was certainly ruined.

"At least we're all okay," she tried to sooth herself. Momo chattered and ran up her arm, tucking his cold little nose into her neck. She stroked his bedraggled fur absentmindedly and began to gather up salvageable supplies. Aang shook the water out of his clothes with a blast of air, then began cheerily zooming above the water on an airball.

"This place is exciting! Do you think an airbender did that? Maybe the waterbenders will know. Where are the waterbenders? Do you think we'll find a great master? Will he train you too? I bet you can show him how good you are and then he will!"

Katara sighed. '_Sometimes, he makes me feel tired.'_

"Aang!" He stopped chattering and looked at her expectantly. "Why don't you go have a look around while I take care of our supplies? Don't go too far!"

As he zoomed away, leaving a spray of foul-smelling water in his wake, Katara shook her head with a smile_. 'It'll be easier to take care of this with him playing elsewhere. Who knows, maybe he will find a waterbender?'_ She picked up in silence for a few minutes, then began lashing bundles together and piling them on the saddle. They'd done a good job securing it- it had stayed on even when nothing else did. Appa licked her face, and she gave him a hug. "There you go, big guy. You did a great job."

"Katara!" she heard in the distance. "I found a swamp monster!"

* * *

I couldn't decide if I thought that last line was an excited one or a scared one, so I left it ambiguous. Aang is hard to predict. Whooooo please review, I'm desperate for attention.


	4. Chapter 4

I am probably the least patient person in the world. I was planning on posting this in about a week, but I guess I'm just going to put this and the next chapter up tonight. I'm sabotaging myself, I know- but who wants to read a story with like two chapters up?

I've gotten several hundred hits, so I know that there's at least a little interest. But reading seems to drop off sharply after the first chapter- are they too long? Is my writing dry?

Review! Please and thank you with cherries on top, I do take advice into consideration and like getting feedback.

* * *

Sukka fidgeted, bouncing on her heels as the gangplank shot out. She was almost free from these idiots! She was willing to grant that the Fire Nation personnel on the boat were generally good-natured and professional, but they were missing a few screws. Zuko really seemed to believe that she was going to settle down in Kyoshi. Maybe it was just easier to pretend they believed that than it was to admit that their beloved policy was asinine and that they'd dragged her halfway across the world for no particular reason.

For all his tough talk, Zuko seemed rather soft. Hakoda would have killed or ransomed an enemy in his custody. Sukka was relatively certain that Zuko would have dumped her off on shore instead of prison even if she hadn't been so accommodating with information.

'_Naivety and mercy aren't the worst traits, I suppose. You're benefiting from his decisions, so don't be too harsh on the guy.'_

The grump she was thinking about strode down the walkway in that insufferably confident manner that he had. She eyed the marines standing at attention around her, searching their faces for signs that she wasn't the only one wanting to reach out and trip him. No one tried, at least.

He was now discussing something with a strange woman in heavy facepaint, who looked spectacularly unhappy to see him. '_She's got good instincts_,' Sukka thought.

Before long, the crew got what was apparently a signal to begin transporting the materials accumulated on the dock. As they filed on shore and then back on board, Sukka wondered if she could just sneak off. They were letting her go, after all. It seemed stupid to stand around on ceremony. The thought left when prince ponytail himself beckoned at the deck and a lurking marine gripped her arm and steered her off the ship to stand by the strangely dressed girl.

She was quite pretty, actually, from what Sukka could tell under the paint and elaborate hairstyle. The green dress was a strange compromise between tradition and utility. Sukka immediately liked her, especially the sour expression directed at Zuko.

"Here. Just keep her in town. If she leaves neutral territories, she's a traitor and any official who spots her will put her down on the spot."

He was a regular Prince Charming.

"Fine." The girl's voice was surprisingly high- she was even younger than Sukka had guessed. "Let's get out of the way and let them work." Then the strange girl strode off, clearly expecting Sukka to follow and hoping that Zuko would fall in the harbor. Sukka snickered. The prince looked off-footed by the brusque snub.

"Well, it's been fun," she said unconvincingly. "Thanks for not putting me in prison, I guess." She didn't wait for a reply before she ran after the other girl.

As it turned out, her new babysitter was named Suki. She was the head of a group of girl warriors based nearby. When she heard that, Sukka solemnly declared "That's the coolest thing I've ever heard."

Even more luckily, Suki had only agreed to watch Sukka to appease Zuko. Kyoshi Island was in a strange place politically where it was under no one's protection, and a Fire Nation prince could have caused them a lot of trouble if he so chose. Much like Sukka, she'd chosen to lie.

"He's really naïve, isn't he?", Sukka'd remarked in a baffled fashion. "I suppose a prince just gets used to people obeying his orders and forgets to think that not everyone has a reason to."

Suki shrugged, watching the ship pull out of port.

"I'm just glad to see the back of them. I hate having to trade with the Fire Nation." Her chair scraped when she sat down, facing Sukka. "How did you end up in their custody anyhow? I'm not harboring a criminal, am I?" She narrowed her eyes intimidatingly.

Sukka waved her hands frantically. "No, no. Nothing like that. I'm from the Southern Water Tribe. Prince Ponytail showed up, picked a fight, then apparently decided that he couldn't leave a bender in enemy hands and forced me to come with. Four _miserable_ weeks of boredom and arguing later, he offered to cut me a deal for information. It didn't seem to occur to him that I would mislead him, and he cheerfully fulfilled his end by leaving me here." She frowned. "When I say it like that, I sound like a bit of a villain for sending him hundreds of miles out of his way on a hopeless quest."

Suki snorted in an unladylike manner. "Who cares," she dismissed. "The right for honesty between enemies is sort of undermined after an unprovoked attack and kidnapping by one side." Then she gave a smile that lit up the whole bar. "Are you really planning to stay here, then?"

"No," Sukka said decisively. "Definitely not. I need to find my little sister." She grimaced. "Although what I can do to keep her safe is debatable. I got my butt handed to me by Prince Ponytail back in my village. It was really ugly."

"Well… if you want to stay for a while and train with us, I can fix that problem. I can't find your little sister but I can do that much. That sounds like a worthy quest to me, and I would lend you aid." The last part had a formal, ritualized air to it that made Sukka sure the words weren't originally Suki's.

Eyes wide, Sukka leaned across the table. "You really mean it? That would be fantastic! I haven't really had any training since I was twelve." The other girl grimaced in sympathy. Sukka wondered if it was a good idea for a moment, but opted for honesty and added that "I also managed to liberate a few firebending scrolls from my dear friend the prince while I was on board."

"Why would you want those?"

Sukka fidgeted. "Didn't I say I was a bender?" She made a face. "My baby sister Katara is a water bender. I apparently took after the raider who attacked my mom. You can imagine that getting trained as a firebender didn't go well in a water tribe." She gave a self-depreciating laugh. "It probably saved my life on that ship, though. The last time they came for our waterbenders, they killed my mother. Apparently firebenders get better treatment, regardless of loyalty."

Suki whistled through pursed lips. "That's rough. Well, let's hope those scrolls of yours have some good moves on them, because I don't think anyone here can help you with that. Actually…" she trailed off, looking uncomfortable.

"I shouldn't tell anyone about the bending thing?" Sukka guess. At the relieved nod, she shrugged. "Yeah, I figured. It makes people nervous, and I figured it would make more sense to lie low while I try to find someone to take me back down south."

"You'll have to help us out a while in exchange for training," Suki warned. "And yes, be quiet about the bending. Traditionally, Kyoshi warriors aren't benders at all. The benders born here tend to be artisans, or leave to get trained elsewhere. Kyoshi has a lot of really great things, either here at the port or at the village proper. We have a great dojo, an incredible dance and Kabuki academy, and a writing school, but no earthbending teachers. I've never even heard of a firebender outside of their armies. Finding a tutor would be hard."

As anxious as she was to find Katara and give Aang a piece of her mind, Sukka figured she could afford to spend a few weeks learning from real warriors. Or, rather, that she couldn't afford not to. She grit her teeth while practicing with the traditional bladed battle fans late into the night- she had to be able to keep Katara safe when Prince Ponytail or someone even worse eventually found them. Besides, there was no way she could make her way to the Northern water tribe before they left- she was going to have to find them some other way.

She'd probably just ask about flying bison. It was not the most subtle way of travel.

Practicing in the Kyoshi warpaint felt strangely good in a way that her black and grey warrior paint never had- perhaps it just suited her better than her father's colors did.

Suki was a harsh taskmistress. Her second-in-command had taken most of the Kyoshi Warriors off on a requested mission to help a trader reach the next city safely (if they didn't provide that service, it was unlikely that they'd have much for trade at all), but someone had to stay after the port received a supply request for a Fire Navy ship. The real town authority was apparently too intimidated to do his job, and had arranged for Suki to do it for him. Sukka wasn't impressed by that, but she was grateful she had met Suki and not some cowardly mayor.

She ended up staying with a group of younger orphan Kyoshi trainees, and earned her outfit and weapons through promising to take patrols after her training was up to par. Luckily, Sukka was athletically inclined and she picked up her new weapons quickly. The little fans suited her much more than that heavy spear ever had, and the lighter boomerang was long-lost. Somewhat surprisingly, the fans could also be used as a projectile, and even came back if thrown properly. '_At least all my boomerang practice wasn't for nothing,'_ she grinned.

Her other weapons were a trio of thin blades of varying lengths, well-balanced both for throwing and using as short swords. The other standard weapon was a katana, but Suki had thought it would take too long to train her to proficiency in that when Sukka had skill with the fans. If she came back or changed her mind about staying, she could be trained in that. Unless that happened, she would use the light weaponry. They didn't really compensate for her reach disadvantage against a male opponent, but the Kyoshi Warriors didn't seem concerned with that. Maybe it just didn't seem important when all the warriors were women?

It took a few days for Sukka to figure out the reasoning behind their nonchalant attitude towards their smaller body types in comparison to conventional warriors. The idea behind their fighting seemed to be speed and the redirection of an opponent's energy.

If a girl had mastered both of those concepts, then she was actually in her element when fighting big, strong men like water tribe warriors. A Kyoshi warrior's worst opponent was one like her- agile and swift, using accuracy instead of brute force. People who used brute force overcommitted to a hit and were easily made off balance. Fighters who focused on expending the least amount of energy for an attack couldn't be tricked into using their strength against themselves.

_"You take their strength, and make it your own_," Suki's voice echoed in her head when she figured it out. The cryptic statement she began lessons with made more sense in retrospect.

One bizarre lesson was dedicated to using her fans and short blades as accessories in civilian clothes. Sukka had half-heartedly pinned her hair with blades that scraped dangerously at her scalp, and fanned herself with twelve inches of razor sharp steel. The lesson was declared a failure and she received pointed chopsticks for her hair instead, and was told to keep her fan closed until she needed it if she was trying to travel without causing alarm.

That lesson was pretty necessary- while the Kyoshi warriors were completely uninvolved in the Hundred-year war, they were often hired as protection by travelers, or to deal with angry spirits. The last part surprised Sukka- she'd grown up hearing about great waterbenders and the Avatar as the only ones capable of dealing with the spirits, but that was apparently inaccurate.

There was a lot that even non-benders could do to fight and appease spirits- knowing which spirits could be appeased and how was half the battle. The most frequent ones were also the ones that needed to be fought- angry spirits of people who died violent deaths and were unable to distinguish between people who deserved punishment and strangers in the afterlife. Generally, they would linger around their place of death until they could latch onto someone- either possessing them or just hitching a ride. Carrying around such a spirit caused ill luck, but that was harder to spot without a trained sage. Those spirits only became obvious when they were provoked, generally by something that reminded them of their life or death.

At that point, Suki had explained, they would possess someone and attack whoever angered them. The only thing to do was to hold the possessed down and perform a cleansing ritual that would help the spirit pass over.

Unfortunately, a hundred years of war had ensured a constant supply of such angry spirits. Perhaps the worst ones were the Fire Nation spirits- not because of any inherent viciousness, but because a spirit far from their ancestral home had a much harder time finding peace.

That particular gem of information had made her shift uncomfortably.

After two and a half weeks of training, Suki had judged her good enough to go out on a practice run. Sukka was nervous as she packed, but she couldn't back out. This help was the only price for all of her training and weaponry- the Kyoshi Warriors were really quite impressive, and their sense of sisterly camaraderie made her wish she had grown up here. She finally felt like a real warrior, instead of the girl that Hakoda had half trained before he had to leave.

Sukka would be leaving with two younger girls and one experienced warrior. It was essentially a supervised training trip with little chance of trouble as they escorted a small merchant caravan. The trip started with a boat ride to the mainland, then escort to the nearest town before they returned. They were also intended to return with some medicinal supplies for the village, to accomplish multiple errands at once.

There were perhaps thirty girls in the group altogether, but about twelve of them were in training and didn't leave the confines of the village. Since they were largely intended to protect Avatar Kyoshi's relics, Suki had to ensure that there was a respectable force in the village at all times. Despite how impressive they seemed to Sukka, the Kyoshi Warriors had nearly been destroyed less than a decade ago, and they were still building up their strength. Which explained why they were so eager to train her in exchange for the help of an already moderately capable warrior, she mused. They were the main source of income for the village, but taking the requests they needed to in order to keep the town afloat financially stretched their forces very thin.

She almost felt guilty that she was saving money for her trip searching for her sister. Sukka was happy here, and she was needed too.

'_Duty before self,_' she reminded with a sigh. That particular edict had always been easy to obey back home, when she never had reason to want anything that didn't serve her primary duties.

The boat trip was short but nerve-racking, knowing that the horrible Unagi monster was so close by. Things went smoothly, though, and the monster was appeased with the offering of rice. The youngest of the girls present, a chirpy girl named Chihero, was completely enchanted by the expensive goods the merchants had. Her trainee peer took the opposite approach- Lanying was utterly serious and stoic in an attempt to seem professional despite being a short 13. The girl supervising them was Biyu- a sixteen year old who happened to be one of Suki's three most capable warriors.

When she thought about it that way, it was more than a little shocking that a decent fighting force had been pulled together in just a few years after the destruction of the experienced members. There was a broad gulf of ability between a twelve year old and a fourteen year old- one was a child trainee, and one was a full-fledged warrior.

Hopefully, in a few years they'd be able to push back the age for full membership and spend longer training girls. It was one thing for an especially talented sixteen year old to be an adult warrior, and another thing altogether for an average fourteen year old to be promoted because of necessity. It was a risky gamble- a couple dangerous fights could incapacitate a promising but unprepared girl. Needing the strength now could be counterproductive in the long run, but what else could they do? They had a lot of young orphans, and five only girls who would be considered fully-trained by the standards Kyoshi had set down. They had fallen on hard times, from a proud past where their warriors averaged from 18 to 25 years old.

Sukka pushed those troubles from her mind and concentrated on her surroundings. They had been walking for nearly a full day, and were likely to reach their destination soon. The two trainees had long fallen into sullen boredom, but Biyu was calm and professionally attentive. She'd rather emulate Biyu than the little ones.

And it was a good thing she thought that way.

Tremors in the ground caught her attention, and Sukka shifted. She'd never seen anything like it. Her eyes met with Biyu, who mouthed "earthbender" and silently drew out her fans. The other three followed suit, but their employers continued chatting happily up until a gaping hole opened up in front of them and a man leapt out, riding a wave of rock. In moments, another man and a slim, scarred woman emerged from the hole with drawn weapons and tried to flank the merchant train.

"Bandits!"

The cry went up, but Sukka didn't know who it was from. Biyu leapt to engage the earthbender, clearly assessing him to be the largest immediate threat. Without waiting for direction, Sukka moved to face the other man while the smaller girls ducked and wove towards the lone female opponent.

The bandits clearly hadn't been expecting to meet organized resistance. The bender was marginally talented, but his companions had apparently just been hired muscle to intimidate any resistant travelers into giving up their gold.

After a short scuffle, Sukka confiscated her opponent's katana and dragged him over to a cart, where an angry-looking older man helped tie the prisoner up. Then she leapt back into the fray. A moment's assessment showed that the trainees were doing an excellent job and even had their opponent on the run, so she tag-teamed the earthbender, feeling immense satisfaction when Biyu knocked him unconscious with a closed fan.

"Well, that was fun!" A nearby trader gave Chihero a strange look and a wider berth, but the girls were too busy coming down from an adrenaline high to notice. Sukka agreed cheerily. "That did wonders for my confidence after my last fight ended so badly." The stoic Lanying gave an uncharacteristic fist pump, grinning and cocking a hip sassily.

"Alright, calm down ladies." Biyu stood from where she'd been kneeling over the only prisoner left conscious. "Our friend here had intimated that these bandits are part of a larger force located nearby. We can turn these three into the local garrison and collect whatever bounties they may have on their heads, but we need to be on our guard for any reinforcements they may have. We could be attacked in revenge or in an attempt to free them. That was a good first fight- I'm proud of all of you. You do the Kyoshi Warriors proud." She finally cracked a small smile at their triumphant grins.

"Right!" Chihero clenched a fist in front of her face. "We'll stop anyone who tries to fight us! We're protecting the townsfolk and travelers by stopping them!"

Sukka elbowed her teasingly. "Damn right!"

Biyu shook her head a little but turned to address the waiting travelers. "We'll require the use of this wagon to escort our prisoners to town, where they will face justice! If everyone is ready to begin moving again, we should not linger in this area."

It turned out that there was a small bounty on the earthbender and the scarred woman, which they collected to bring home for the order as a whole. Apparently Sukka's opponent was new to the gang-she was thanked for bringing him in, but not monetarily. Regardless, she felt cheery when they began their trek back home, with packs full of reward money, herbs, and ointments. Now that they had been in their first fight, all three trainees would be allowed to select a unique hair ornament and abandon the trainee headband as a statement that they were full warriors. The hair ornaments were often the only way to tell apart warriors- an intentional decision to prevent enemies from altering their tactics to deal effectively with a warrior's unique strengths and weaknesses.

Suki was surprised to get requests for three girls to commission unique pieces from a local artisan, but pleased and proud. The jeweler made sketches and promised they would be ready by the end of the next day.

Once they had their hairpieces, the three girls spent hours playing with elaborate hairstyles to find their signature look. Generally, a girl didn't change her statement once she'd gone out on her first mission as a blooded warrior so that her peers would be able to learn to tell her apart. Therefore, it would really suck to be stuck with a hasty ponytail for the entirety of one's career.

Sukka grew used to her next hairstyle- it took as much time to put together as her makeup did, but it was a source of pride.

She didn't leave the village for another week of training, at which point she was anxious to use her new skills. Not knowing where she was going to go but knowing that she had to leave soon was wearing on her nerves. When Kyoshi village proper received a missive that some sort of malevolent spirit was causing trouble in a farming hamlet on the island, she eagerly volunteered to go.

* * *

Katara held a hand over her eyes to ward off the glare while Aang scrambled to catch a ride on the gigantic fish that apparently made this island a vacation destination. He was feeling better about his position as the Avatar now that he'd mastered waterbending under Huu, the master who wielded vines like they were part of his own body. Katara had been impressed by the versatile nature of Foggy Swamp waterbending, especially since they trained her. In less than a month, she had blazed through their curriculum and astounded everyone present. She'd heard mumbles to the effect that if Aang hadn't been there, they would have assumed she was the waterbending Avatar.

It was flattering, to be honest.

The experience had been tainted by the bizarre visions they had seen when they camped the first night. Aang had chased after a strange girl he didn't know, but Katara had seen Sukka and their mother holding hands. When Huu had explained that the swamp embodied the connection between all living things and that time and death were illusions, she'd grown cold. Did that mean Sukka was dead? For one glorious moment she thought that her missing family was really there, before chilly reality set in and she remembered Hakoda's face as he'd set Kya's body out to sea in her funeral canoe- the chief's wife merited the less of crucial supplies, though most others would have been let to slip under alone instead of in a canoe with two small holes drilled.

When Aang had suggested they make a tourist stop to a place that would cheer her up, Katara had agreed for his sake. Their first trip to Omashu had failed to be relaxing- his old friend Bumi was now the king. Katara privately thought he had lost his mind with old age, but Aang definitively stated that he was exactly the way he remembered him as a boy. Bumi had played some bizarre game where he put Aang through a series of tests involving his pet, lunch box, and rock candy, and then proceeded to lay a heavy load of bad information as to the state of the world onto Aang.

It turned out that things were worse than the isolated Water Tribes could have known. Thankfully, Bumi had information on locations of Fire Nation strongholds and speculations as to safer routes for them to take. To Aang's disappointment, Bumi refused to be his earthbending teacher. So overall, the stop was informative, but it did not serve the purpose of relaxing Aang. He definitely needed to take breaks and relax- his training was much more efficient when interspersed with playtime.

Personally, Katara was too unhappy to relax. She constantly felt sick with worry and guilt.

'_But Pakku said they wouldn't kill a firebender,_' she reminded herself for the hundredth time. The Fire Nation prized their benders- they were almost certain to try to press her into military service, or marry her off to produce more strong firebenders. Apparently, first generation benders had notoriously strong connections to their element (which might have explained Katara's extraordinary skill). Pakku's logic was insufficient comfort in the face of her fear, but she clung to it like a mantra. It was all she had. She still hated the man on a personal level, but he had given her a lot of good advice and practical knowledge for her travels, including a small wooden lotus token and the name of a man she should show it to when asking for help looking for an earthbending master.

In her darkest moments, Katara wondered if she should find Aang his earthbending master next instead of looking for Sukka. She missed her sister like crazy, but the search seemed hopeless.

They had no idea where her sister might have been taken- she could be at a colony, or any one of the four naval bases along the Earth Kingdom coastline, or even to the great stronghold at Pohuai. _'Or even in the Fire Nation itself'_, she reminded herself sadly.

Lost in her thoughts, Katara didn't see the dark shape in the water behind Aang. She only knew something was wrong when he crashed into the beach screaming, and a great sea monster rose up behind him. She scrambled backwards, and the two put as much distance between themselves and the water as possible for a few frantic minutes. When they calmed, Momo popped his face out of her shirt where he had been trembling. She hugged him, feeling her fingers shaking as much as his tail appeared to be.

Aang's face was white and his eyes wide- for a moment. Then he grinned. "That was exciting! I love seeing new things. That guy definitely wasn't here the last time that I was!"

Katara's head fell forward in shock and she looked at her friend with wild eyes. '_He's nuts!'_

She didn't have a chance to say anything, however, before the warriors who had been creeping around them moved in and knocked them both to the ground, restrained them, and tied their hands behind her backs before propping them up against a pole.

"Hi guys!", Aang said cheerfully from under his blindfold. Katara groaned quietly, willing him not to say anything that could get them in trouble. "I'm the avatar, and this is my friend Katara! Who are you guys?"

'_Like that. I didn't want him to say anything like that._' She slumped over further, exasperated beyond belief. Just because they hadn't met anyone who didn't like the Avatar yet didn't mean that they wouldn't, and he definitely shouldn't admit it to people who had him tied up unless he knew whose side they were on.

She heard uncertain shifting of feet in the sand, and the beginnings of a whispered conversation. Then, "Prove it," a girl's voice said decisively. "If you are the Avatar, prove it."

The blindfold still over her eyes, Katara couldn't tell what was going on. From the gasps and sounds of fast-moving air, she assumed Aang was doing some impressive bending… probably while still bound and blindfolded. _That incredibly talented, adorable, sweet jerk._ She definitely couldn't do anything to free herself from this position. After a moment, Katara repressed the envy- she didn't need it anymore. She was even better at waterbending than he was, even with his spiritual advantage. Maybe air required less movement to bend.

"Okay," the same voice came, sounding surprised and higher pitched than last time. "I think I believe him. Untie them, ladies. I trust that the Avatar and his companion will not bring war to our shores, but we cannot harbor you for long without risking our neutral stance in the war."

'_Neutral?'_ Katara thought in disgust, pulling her freed hands in front of her chest. How could anyone rationalize away being neutral, when the Fire Nation was killing innocents everywhere? They'd come to this tiny island eventually, when they had what they wanted from everyone else.

"Is Katara a common name in the water tribes?" She could see the speaker- and her companions- was a young woman dressed in a green dress with black armor over it and heavy white face paint.

"No," she said tersely. "I've never heard of another Katara. It's a Southern adaptation of a Northern Tribe name."

The speaker paused. "Do… do you know a girl named Sukka?"

And suddenly her heart was in her throat. "How do you know that name?" Katara didn't remember moving, but she was suddenly within inches of the taller girl, grasping at her shoulders.

Her fingers were gently prised off, and folded within warm hands. "You have Kyoshi's own luck," she laughingly began, "Sukka has been here and she will be back. A Fire Nation frigate dumped her on us, and she's been saving up funds to go back south to find her little sister." The older girl crossed her arms in front of her chest forbiddingly. The razor sharp fans certainly helped to enhance the intimidating effect. "I take it that's you. You worried her sick, you know!"

Katara's knees hit the sand. Her whole body was weak with relief. "I know." She blinked back tears. "Where… where is she?" Aang curled up next to her grinning madly and put an arm around her shoulders.

The older girl laughed. "That's a long story. We should head back to the village for this one. My name is Suki, and I'm the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors- the girls who just now kicked your butts."

The impressive moment and cool statement was a little ruined by the high-pitched squeal that followed from the shortest girl present. "We kicked the _Avatar's_ butt! We're so cool!" The three taller girls gave the speaker an exasperated look.

"Chihero, don't do that while in uniform. Ever again."

"Yes, ma'am."

* * *

Sukka's feet dragged in the dirt as she and her sole traveling companion, Biyu, neared the village. They had found the troublesome spirit easily- it had spotted Sukka and latched onto a host to attack her furiously. '_Guess I look more Fire Nation than I thought,_' She frowned. That **couldn't** be how the spirit had identified her as an enemy- not in this uniform and face paint. Perhaps spirits had another way to tell?

Anyway, being the target had actually made it easy for the girls to keep the farmer family safe, though it was doubtlessly traumatizing to see the mindless fury the recently deceased son had fallen into. They'd weepingly explained that he hadn't been buried- he had been a new recruit to the Earth army, and put on the front lines because he was a bender. But he had been untrained and roasted within his cloth armor on the field in a matter of minutes, leaving charred remains that couldn't be returned home. It was well and good to take care of Fire Nation remains through immolation, but Earth Kingdom citizens, especially benders, needed to be returned to the earth to find rest.

Biyu had recited what felt like an eternity of blessings, aided by Sukka whenever she remembered a part and could breathe. She was stuck holding down the struggling body. It was lucky that the man had chosen to possess his younger brother and not his bulky, strong father. Redirecting other people's strength was all well and good, but it didn't help restrain someone twice your size.

Afterwards, they held a small ceremony blessing his travels and ceremonially burying some of his most prized possessions. His younger brother had to be carried- spirits had no concept of human limitations, and his body had been overtaxed in the possession.

By the time they left, it was dark and the strange insects that brought pinpricks of light to the sky were darting around. Sukka couldn't help but smile, despite her aching muscles. She loved seeing exotic, pretty things like that. There certainly hadn't been anything exotic and beautiful during her long incarceration on the Fire Nation ship, except perhaps delicate porcelain teacups and the tapestry of dragons. Perhaps the Fire Nation just wasn't as beautiful as the Earth Kingdom, or maybe it was their military in specific. Water Tribe ships were works of beauty with elaborately carved wood, sigils and blessings on the floorboards and winding motifs on railings and doorways, so she didn't see why Fire Nation ships had to be so depressing.

And then her baby sister came running and screaming down the crest of a hill into her vision. For a startled moment, Sukka thought her nostalgia for the Water Tribe had ripped Katara right out of her memories and into the real world. Biyu reached for her fans instinctively, but Sukka ignored her and dashed forward, catching Katara in a spinning hug that ended with Katara crying onto her shoulder. In her peripheral vision, she saw Aang and Suki walking at a more sedate pace in the direction Katara had come from.

"I'm so sorry." Katara hiccupped into her shoulder, and Sukka felt tears soaking through. She rubbed her baby sister's back and whispered soothingly. It didn't seem to get through to her. "I'm so, so sorry Sukka. I shouldn't have run off. And then I came back and you were gone…" she burst into a fresh round of tears.

"It's okay, I'm not mad anymore. Not at you. I'm going to string Aang up by his intestines and braid his skin into a jump rope, but I'm not mad at you. I could never be." She buried her head in her sister's thick hair, muffling her own voice before she said anything really emotional. It didn't disguise the fact that her voice broke when she continued, "I was so worried about you the whole time. I'm glad you weren't there when they took me." Her voice was wry. "You never would have listened to me when I told you not to fight them."

Katara sniffled through a smile. "You're right, I wouldn't have listened."

Sukka drew back and tweaked her sister's nose. "Brat."

Said nose crinkled up and the younger girl turned her face away. "Hey, stop it." She paused. "What on earth did you do to your hair? I heard that you joined Suki's group, but I pictured you with your warrior's wolftail."

They suddenly remembered they weren't alone when Biyu started to snicker. "Sorry, sorry." She waved a hand. "It's just… a wolf tail would not really look right with the formal makeup and armored dress."

"She's right," Sukka announced with a grin. "Why, are you jealous? Maybe it's time you updated your 'do as well." She tugged at Katara's right hair loop. "That's a little old fashioned, don't you think?"

When her sister scowled and began the lecture she'd heard a thousand times, Sukka knew the world was at right again.

About a quarter mile away, Aang finally stopped running, panting a little. "Whew." He wiped nonexistent sweat off his forehead. "I think I'll hang out with you for a while, Appa!" He paused. "At least until Katara has a chance to calm her sister down."

* * *

Since she wasn't traveling as a Kyoshi warrior, Sukka wasn't going to wear the full dress and face paint regularly. She brought it with her, but compromised by fastening the armor and gloves on with her green top and grey slacks. After trying it on, she ripped the sleeves of the top off at the forearm, and tailored the ends of the pants to hug her calves instead of moving loosely. Katara watched, bemused but happy.

"You're making me feel silly in my Water Tribe blues," she commented lightly. Suki gave her a sideways look.

"Don't take this the wrong way, coming as it is from the girl in full face paint, but I think that you should change clothes, Katara. I knew instantly who you were. Aang, too, if you can convince him. Besides, it's really foul to wear the same outfit for weeks on end." Said boy looked up inquisitively at his name, cheeks filled with sweetcakes.

"She has a point," Sukka said without looking up from her stitching. "The Fire Nation is looking for you, Aang. I know that the saffron is part of your heritage, Aang, and that Katara's blue is both traditional and logical back home- we only have the one kind of inedible berries for dye, and we would have lost you in the snow if we didn't dye your white polarbear furs. It doesn't serve the same purpose in the Earth Kingdom. If we are traveling through the Earth Kingdom, we should look the part to avoid notice. I do have some extra clothes, if it would help."

Aang shook his head. "No way! These are traditional Air Nomad colors! I have to wear them."

Suki pursed her lips in thought. "But do you have to wear just those colors? I think I know where you're coming from- tradition is important. But that doesn't mean you can't be flexible and reinvent what you need. Yellow isn't strange in the Earth Kingdom at all. I bet we could whip up something for you with both your colors that wouldn't stand out nearly so much that you could wear."

Aang frowned. "Thanks, but no thanks. Maybe if things get really desperate."

Sukka stared sternly at her little sister, who rolled her eyes and gave in. "I guess I could try something else for a little while", she allowed.

"That's my girl," Sukka praised teasingly. "I have some clothes in my room if you'd like to grab them. Leave the pink top, but take anything else and bring it here so we can tailor what we need to."

With an eyeroll, the younger girl was off. She sewed in silence for a few minutes until an outraged voice rang out. "Sukka! This shirt is indecent!"

Aang looked at Sukka with wide eyes, but she snickered. "Maybe for you, little one!" she taunted. "I think it's adorable. I said to leave it alone. I'm definitely wearing that later."

Katara flounced back in and gave an outraged sniff. "Just imagine what Gran-Gran would say," she said sternly, all but shaking her finger at her elder sister. She was holding the lightest green shirt Sukka had found, the one with wide loose sleeves. The dark gray pants she'd selected were loose as well. Sukka rolled her eyes at her sister's matronly modesty, but obligingly had her model them. Katara was almost swimming in excess fabric.

"I like it," she defended. "It feels more like wearing a dress this way."

Sukka sighed. Beside her, Suki turned her head to the side consideringly. "Well, it wouldn't be so bad if you added a sash." She smiled. "You could even use your blue water tribe one! That way you haven't completely lost your colors."

Suki was right- said sash made the look much better. They feared it looked too 'water tribe', but Suki assured them blue wasn't so rare in the earth kingdom and that it wouldn't look strange at all. The high-collared top almost looked like a yukata on Katara's adolescent frame, but she didn't want the material taken in. "If I change my mind, I can do it later" Katara said firmly. So that was that.

With 'disguises' in place, the group left to a chorus of goodbyes and tears. As sad as the goodbye was, Suki was more than a bit relieved that her younger trainees wouldn't be skipping practice to make goo-goo eyes at Aang anymore.

On a giant smelly buffalo for the first time, Sukka wiggled nervously. "So, uh. Where are we going?"

She thought it was a reasonable question, but the other two took a while to answer. Katara worried at her lower lip and glanced sideways at Aang, who was standing stiffly.

"Okaaaay," she said slowly.

A muscle jumped in Aang's jaw. "We're going to the Eastern Air Temple," he said shortly. Katara winced visibly and drew further into herself. "I know… we've been to the Southern Air Temple. And I know that the odds aren't good that there are airbenders there. But I have to know. And that temple is where Appa came from. If there are other Sky Bison around, he deserves to know."

Sukka blinked slowly. '_We're going there for the flying snot monster_?' She glanced down at said massive beast, and remembered it was carrying her. "Well, I guess we owe Appa for providing transportation. Let's go check it out."

* * *

The Southern Air Temple was a tomb. Seeing a temple for the first time was a fascinating experience- it consisted of three pagodas over three different mountains. The architecture was amazing and utterly impossible… and everything was covered in scorch marks. Empty metal suits of armor that must have been the old Fire Nation uniform lay on the lower levels, and piles and piles of human bones scattered the upper level. In one particularly gruesome tableau, an adult figure was crumpled in front of a pile of children's bones, backed against a supporting wall.

They walked through it all in silence, Aang trembling imperceptibly. Katara held his hand firmly, looking like she wanted to cry herself. Sukka felt distinctly unnerved, beyond even what the carnage in front of her warranted. "Aang, I think there are a lot of angry spirits here. I think… I think we shouldn't be here." She swallowed. "Me specifically. Spirits can sense that I'm part Fire Nation. At a scene like this, anything could set them off. Is there anywhere in particular you need to go here or to do? If not, we need to either start taking care of these remains or get out."

He looked back at her silently. She couldn't read his expression, but in a moment he took off for the inner sanctum at a run. Katara followed, yelling for him to wait.

Sukka swallowed hard and turned to take in the scene in full. "I guess that's my job, then." Then she frowned. "What do Air Nomads need to rest, anyways?" She settled for saying a quick prayer for them, and then went about incinerating Fire Nation corpses. The heat required left her shaky and stumbling over the words of each blessing for the displaced spirits. The oppressive aura gradually lessened, but it definitely wasn't gone.

At that point, Sukka was seeing spots of white from overexertion and tiredly stumbled back to Appa. "Hey buddy". She threaded her fingers through the soft fur and buried her face. "How long do you think they'll take?"

Appa rumbled and gave her a light nudge. She stumbled a little bit. "You're right. I should take a nap." After a few mis-tries, she hoisted herself up and curled up behind the horn of the saddle. She woke up sometime hours later to the feeling of surprisingly gentle breezes on her face and the smell of salt on the breeze. Blearily, she attempted to focus on the younger children talking quietly, but couldn't make anything out.

"She's awake." Their hushed conversation came to an end with that.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know how to respect Air Nomad dead," she apologized to Aang and the air as a whole. "I said blessings over them, but that's all I knew to do."

Aang sighed. "It's fine. Air Nomads are actually returned to the element by sky burial- leaving them out to the elements. They were fine, though they should have been arranged more respectfully."

She nodded. "Good to know."

"I appreciate that you tried," he said quietly. Then he sighed. "We don't really have plans right now. I think we were just going to settle down for the night near a town."

"Someplace near water," Katara added. "I have first watch." She frowned. "I need a bigger water pouch as soon as possible. Let's check out the market first thing in the morning, okay?"

"Sounds fine to me," Sukka yawned. "I'm pooped, guys. Apparently I'm not in fit shape to do much bending, especially not that hot."

Aang raised a nonexistent eyebrow. "There are varying levels of heat?"

"Yupp. It's weird, huh? I can actually make a flame that's such a low temperature I can touch it without even blistering."

He scrunched up his face. "That doesn't even make sense!" Katara laughed.

* * *

Aang stayed up later than the girls under the pretense of keeping Appa company. Really, he didn't want to sleep.

Seeing this temple was almost worse than finding Gyatso's body because instead of being shocked by the death, he had come fully expecting disaster but fiercely hoping for signs of good news- like hints that someone had been by recently or that benders had escaped. There was nothing. The bedrooms were the worst part- they looked exactly as they had the last time he'd been there, except for the layers of dust.

The beds were made- some more crisply than others, with the obvious expectation that little bodies would have climbed into them the next day as usual. Calligraphy practice must have been interrupted when the army had been spotted- pens laid in neat rows in front of low cushions.

How had it happened, he wondered. Why didn't anyone have time to fly away? Surely people had tried. Had the Fire Nation devised a way to make it unsafe to fly- knocking flying bison down? He patted Appa nervously. They had to have killed all the bison too- otherwise they would have still been living in the valley.

The Fire Nation must have come under the cover of darkness- otherwise they would have been seen coming miles away. It would have been dangerous for them to scale cliffs and use their strange hot air balloons at night.

The idea that so many people had wanted his people dead so badly hurt Aang. It was almost a physical ache in his chest, and a tiny voice that could only ask 'why?'. It just didn't make sense. The air nomads didn't hurt anybody. They were the smallest of the four peoples by far, and had subsided by gathering fruits from orchards in their valleys and the beautiful berry bushes that made up their gardens. He had never heard of an airbender committing a crime worth killing them for- the harshest punishment that could be allotted to an airbender was confinement to a temple under the supervision of elders. Theft had occasionally been a problem with young benders on their first journeys- it was an easy crime to get away with when you could fly away from the scene of the crime- but elders straightened that out by forcing them to work for whomever they'd stolen from. Being confined to a single place and manual labor was a serious deterrent for a people who valued freedom above anything.

_'I'm trying to convince myself my people didn't deserves to be killed_.' Aang snorted, disgusted. '_That's crazy. There's no crime worth killing for. I'm using their way of thinking by acting as if the thought even needs to be considered.'_ He curled up, bony knees poking his chest. It was hard to be an airbender away from a temple- it was hard to get enough vegan food to eat, it was hard to have no one who understood you, and it was really hard to be surrounded by people whose way of thinking and life was completely alien. Aang was glad he had Katara and Sukka to keep him company. Sukka was becoming a friend, and Katara almost felt like family. But it was still lonely to know he carried an entire civilization with him when he walked. For the first time in his life, Aang felt heavy. He was weighed down with responsibility- as the Avatar and as the only Air Nomad.

He still didn't want to be the Avatar. Sometimes it was fun learning to use another element- he had always loved bending. But in his heart, Aang was an Air Nomad, not an Avatar. Could he be both? Did an Avatar have to give up their nation? Everyone seemed to think he would end the war by punishing the Fire Nation. But he couldn't hurt anyone except in defense- it was another thing altogether to plan what amounted to a murder. And what happened if getting rid of the Fire Lord didn't change things? The Fire Lord had changed multiple times since his people had been killed. If those changes hadn't ended the war, who was to say the next Fire Lord would or could? He couldn't just keep killing people until everyone agreed with him or feared him, even if he was willing to do so.

'_And I'm not._' He stared in the distance, half noting that the sun was starting to come up. '_I'm not going to kill anybody.'_

* * *

Zuko fidgeted at the helm, disliking going back to that tiny island only a month and a half after dropping the girl off. Unfortunately, he had been prevented from going as far north as he wanted by political bullshit- the particularly unpleasant man named Zhao had been promoted, and was snatching up every unit he saw for his personal armada. It was very bad form, but technically legal. On this particular instance, Zhao was actually concerned with collecting men, not ships. He had been put in charge of the capture of Omashu- doubtless he had his eye on another promotion for accomplishing it quickly. When they'd heard about it while exchanging cargo with a mail ship, Uncle had decreed it would be the perfect time to go take care of a few errands.

Zuko was absolutely furious about the whole debacle, but he knew it was a good idea to avoid Zhao. The man absolutely loved lording anything he could over Zuko- perhaps the revenge of a low-born man against a high-born noble he resented.

He still didn't see why they were returning to that specific island, however. Granted, they were avoiding Fire Nation military so that they would 'miss' any changed orders held in waiting for them, and the vast majority of local ports were hostile, and… Okay, so now it made sense. Besides, Kyoshi Island had been an excellent stop for cuisine- the elephant koi they'd loaded up on had drastically improved rations for two days.

'_I guess I could see how that water tribe girl settled in_,' he mused. He really had felt guilty about taking her from her home and leaving her in the middle of a strange land with only the clothes on her back. He'd tried to soften that blow by making sure she had more than one set of clothing- her water tribe rags had been mistakenly thrown away that first night by someone offended by the smell. (The leather had clearly been treated in an odd way to make it waterproof. Knowing _why_ it was strange didn't make it any less unpleasant, so no one had been all that upset that it was tossed overboard.)

The sound of men laughing burst into the cool night air, and he flinched away, unconsciously turning his bad eye towards the shadows on the deck. If he'd been any less proper, he would have self-consciously crossed his arms. "_I suppose it would be a good practice reconnaissance mission,'_ he convinced himself.

Really, that was worth doing all on its own. In the past, he'd found out interesting things he would never have known otherwise almost every time he changed into black and slunk around in shadows.

They reached the same dock they'd been at before by morning light. This time, there was no 'welcoming' party of grumpy girls in green dresses. Zuko decided to mark that up as a good thing. The day was uneventful- the marines were let out for shore leave in shifts, and he could see a few of them stumbling around the town's (surprisingly many) open bars. Some of them were even singing. He frowned from his vantage point in his cabin and turned away huffily. It was unprofessional. How could they possibly enjoy themselves when they should be helping to chase down that airbender for information on the Avatar?

He paced, feeling like a caged lion-panda. Shadows slowly moved and crept across the ship. The crewmen returned and sobered up in shifts. Uncle and the marines following with his massive piles of trinkets stumbled up the gangway, chattering loudly. The ship grew still and quiet, and the nightly patrols began on board. On shore, one of those girls in green dresses began to do the same, lingering around bars and briskly breaking up any fights. That was when Zuko pulled off his red and gold clothing and slipped into a dark gray that blended into shadows and pulled a blue mask out from under the clothes in his large trunk.

When he climbed back on the ship hours later (time didn't count in the blackness of night, when one moment could be any other) he was outright trembling with excitement and anger. The townsfolk had been absolutely full of talk about the girl he'd left there last time, a waterbender girl, and a boy who was the Avatar.

'_That little sneak,_' some portion of his mind registered. _'I bet she knew he was the Avatar the whole time. I never actually asked her if she knew the Avatar when Uncle was there to see if she lied. She played me like a harp. I did exactly what she must have planned, although I have no idea how they could have contrived to meet here. And… if Zhao hadn't been trying to requisition every ship he could pull off duty and I'd gone where I planned, I would have missed them altogether.'_ He almost laughed, amazed at what seemed to be his first bout with good luck. '_Guess I should thank Zhao then, huh? When I bring the Avatar back home, I'll be sure to write him a __**nice**__ letter.'_

He momentarily imagined the look on Uncle's face when he shared his new information without telling him how he got it. '_Payback for all those mysterious sources he has_,' Zuko thought, amused.

* * *

Zuko followed the trail of sightings of a strange flying shape for weeks, eventually leaving his ship and continuing the hunt on foot. It would have been proper to take an escort, but he'd absolutely refused to try to track anyone followed by a herd of slow-moving sailors in clanking armor. Uncle wasn't any speedier.

It was **just** a reconnaissance mission, he convinced them. Well, from their expressions, 'convince' might have been a strong word for what he did, but it got the job done and he didn't even have to pull the 'I am technically your boss on this mission, Uncle' card. That was good, because he didn't think he could make that claim with a straight face and feeling guilty for abusing authority he shouldn't really have. Without Uncle, he'd probably have been killed in a mutiny years ago.

He finally caught up to a recent trail after losing it entirely near the outskirts of a small, Fire-occupied city. Zuko absentmindedly noted that reinforcements could be found nearby if he needed them and otherwise dismissed the information. The location was predictable- the group liked to stay near water, probably for bending practice. Now that he knew the girl was a bender, he could have smacked his forehead a thousand times before he forgave himself for not figuring that out on his own. The Water Tribe girl had acted strangely, almost as if in anger when Uncle had mentioned that her tribe was out of Waterbenders. Why had he never thought about what that could have meant before?

It didn't matter, he knew. The two couldn't possibly have been all the way up the north pole by now, especially if they were traveling on foot and by air gliders across the continent. Granted, many of the people who'd related sightings of something flying had made the delusional claim that it was some sort of large flying mammal, but that didn't even make sense. They must have just thought the boy was flying much higher than he really was an misjudged size.

The thing he was really baffled by was how well the trail on foot had been hidden… until he came to a strange meadow of flattened grasses, where it became immediately, painfully obvious that three people of appropriate heights and weights to be the three he was following had left on foot. When it became clear that they had gone into town and then ran away, he picked up his pace, heart pounding in his chest. What was going on?

'_Ah_,' he thought glumly. _'That's what's going on. I thought my luck was going far too well lately_.'

He'd found the group. Unfortunately, they seemed to be situated in a camp of rebels and Fire Nation deserters. Zuko silently climbed a tree for a better view and observed from a distance, taking mental notes on his targets and running strategies through his head. He definitely couldn't singlehandedly attack the encampment. He could sneak in, but even if he tossed the Avatar over his shoulder and sprinted away someone was likely to quickly catch up to him on foot.

'_Maybe I should go talk to the local garrison,_' he mused. Most of the day passed. The Avatar was easy to spot- he was even wearing the traditional clothing depicted in Uncle's scrolls! The waterbender girl was harder to pick out. He would have thought she'd be wearing much more blue. She was considerably tanner and shorter than her half-sister, with long wavy hair of a lighter brown than the shade of Sukka's sleek, near-black mane.

Spotting the girl he remembered was a bitch, though. He blinked, rubbing at his eyes as a taller girl _(she was right, she looks pretty tall next to her sister)_ in black armor over a green shirt with an elaborate hairstyle came to sit by the Avatar and the waterbender. '_Is __**that**__ really her?_'

He was relatively certain that it was, and completely sure that he hadn't bought her any armor or the weapons she carried on her back. He'd definitely never seen her with hair in anything but a simple ponytail. '_Maybe she got those things from those Kyoshi girls_?' He played with the idea, noting how much more confident and comfortable she seemed on land.

Then everything went to shit. The garrison he'd been thinking about talking to charged out of the brush, led by a group that appeared to be the Rough Rhinos. Zuko jumped to his feet, and took a moment to pick out the direction his targets were running as the camp scattered in panic. Then he sprinted, blending into the shadows, staying away from both sides like a ghost.

'_At least I know where they're headed_,' he thought grimly, altering his course a little. This was his chance- If he defeated those two girls, he'd be free to knock out the Avatar and drag him kicking and screaming back to the ship, which should be waiting at a nearby port. It would suck to fight three opponents in a row, but he was certain that he would defeat Sukka again easily, and her little sister probably wasn't any better trained. The Avatar was the only wild card, but he _had_ trained for years for this fight. Zuko wouldn't make it easy.

By the time he reached the edge of his targeted clearing, he was unnerved by a low sound that could have only been made by an enormous animal. He dazedly noted that the reports of the large flying mammal may not have been as fictitious as he had first assumed while said thing _swooped out of fucking nowhere _and allowed the kids to climb on its back.

'_What the fuck.'_

He already intellectually knew he'd lost them, but he was **terrible** at giving up and the part of his mind that would make that decision hadn't caught on yet. He was still in a dead sprint as he burst into the clearing and the last person stepped up into the saddle. She turned and saw him just at the right moment, while the waterbending girl and the Avatar huddled miserably near the back of the creature's neck. For an instant, Zuko caught a glint of the incongruous blue in the eyes of a firebender's face; then she leapt up and shouted something indistinct.

The strange animal beat its flat tail on the ground, causing a huge cloud of dust to rise and it took off straight upwards, ignoring all the conventions of flight that Zuko had learned from watching war balloons and other technologies. His knees hit the dirt.

"They have a magic flying hairy pig-thing," he said, not really aware his mouth was moving. Though words were coming out, Zuko's brain wasn't really functioning. If his uncle had been there, he would have been enormously pleased to see Zuko laugh, as long as he didn't realize the laughter was the beginnings of hysteria.

End of Book One


	5. Chapter 5

The plot actually begins to move in this chapter. I'm probably going to make a lot of people unhappy by changing so much, but here goes.

* * *

Beginning of Book Two

* * *

"Repeat that."

A nervous messenger began to summarize the report again, but was quickly cut off.

"Oh, never mind. Give me that." The scroll was impatiently snatched from his hands and he waited at attention. _'I wonder how accurate that 'shooting the messenger' cliché is. I heard she burnt a servant alive once_'. He stood straight as a board though he felt like fidgeting or just plain running.

The princess was fucking scary and he didn't doubt for a moment that she would burn a maidservant alive just to see how the woman screamed.

Unsurprisingly, he was visibly relieved a few minutes later when she re-realized he was there and dismissed him in disgust. Azula paced the length of the room, face placid but turbulent emotions underneath. It seemed that in raiding some shitty Earth Kingdom rebel camp, the local officials had discovered reports that the Avatar was alive and active.

Far worse was the story that the sightings of Zuko's little ship told. Zuko's only task was to find the Avatar. He was an idiot, true, but Uncle was not. If there were any rumors about the one thing he was interested in, Uncle would have heard them one way or another. She had no direct evidence to support her theory that Zuko knew about the avatar and had failed to report it, which could be counted as treasonous behavior… but it was awfully suspicious that his ship had pulled into the nearest harbor two days before the reported sightings. Even worse were the back-tracked reports that indicated he had visited some little hole in the wall called Kyoshi Island… a month before the Avatar did.

There was really only one conclusion to make. Zuko knew where the Avatar was going to be before he even got there.

She had absolutely no idea how that could be true, but it had to be. In a fit of anger she burnt the report that some drone had doubtlessly spent hours putting together. Daddy doubtlessly had his own copy anyway. She at least had the satisfaction of knowing he would come to a similar conclusion and take Zuko's gall to hide information from him as a challenge to his authority. Daddy did so despise challenges to his authority. The impression that Zuko didn't worshipfully obey the Fire Lord's every implied order was a dangerous one, especially for the disgraced former heir and the man who was slated to inherit in front of Daddy. It implied plotting was going on.

It could be that one or both of them were looking to make a publicity coup. Daddy would never have sent Zuko on that quest if he'd thought there was even the slightest chance that he'd succeed- capturing the Avatar would be succeeding at something that their illustrious ancestors had failed at for generations. The quest had almost certainly been a subtle way to mock the traditional quest- Iroh himself, as well as their grandfather Azulon and others had all made an attempt. Daddy had been making a point about the useless nature of such an endeavor, backhandedly making his ancestors look like fools.

Such a stunt would achieve them public admiration. Uncle already had quite a loyal following among the drones who remembered his military stunts. They didn't seem to mind the fact that he was far past his heyday, not half the man he'd been in his use. If he was involved, the peasants would flock to him, and loyalties in the military would be strained. That would be an incredibly dangerous situation.

Of course… she just couldn't believe the Zuko would have come up with something so savvy and traitorous. Uncle could perhaps accomplish it, but never little Zuzu. Whatever his (many and serious) faults, Zuko was painfully sincere and loyal. Uncle wouldn't have been able to subvert Zuko's loyalty so long as he had the slightest reason to delude himself into thinking Daddy wanted him. That meant Zuko had to have another motivation.

With a new fury, she examined the evidence. Zuko himself was outside of the regular chain of command, but he was still required to report any updates on his quest for the Avatar. And he hadn't- she would have definitely heard about that. That could only mean that he'd gotten a lot smarter- he was protecting his hunt from opportunistic bounty hunters or ambitious men with a lot more troops than he had.

That changed things.

It would really be **terrible** if he came home. In her own way, she was fond of Zuko- he was her loser brother, a baseline against which her star would forever shine. If he had been stumbling around, like the useless Zuzu she remembered, her worry would have been minimal. When she was crowned Fire Lord after Daddy died, she would have rescinded his sentence and allowed him to slink home, forever grateful to her and found a way to make him useful. He would forever be loyal to anyone who showed him the slightest bit of kindness. Pathetic, but predictable.

Her lips pursed into a pretty pout. She was going to have to interfere. If Zuko came home successful with their ancient enemy in chains, she would lose her status as crown princess. Despite his obvious unsuitability, Daddy would have no choice- the legions of peasants who didn't realize how unsuitable he was would expect their new darling to be a national hero. The very thought was ridiculous.

Zuko would be a terrible Fire Lord- he'd rather cry over burnt turtle ducklings than actually lead a nation. The fact that she was the only person in the palace who liked to burn ducklings alive was unimportant.

It would be for his own good, really. And the good of the nation. Preferably she could stop at getting the Avatar before he could or otherwise preventing him from touching the Avatar by getting in his way. If she had to, she'd kill Zuko. Better dead than a bad Fire Lord.

'_Besides... That's my job. I was __**born**__ to rule.'_

"Peon." She barked. When a servant girl stepped into the room, she already had a blank scroll and an ink stone in hand. "Bring me a proper messenger. I'm going to have mail that I don't trust in grubby little hands like yours."

The girl gave a respectful nod, bow, and then scampered out like the rat she was.

'_I'll just send Zuko a little gift'._ Her lips quirked up. '_I've missed a few birthdays. It would only be right for me to send him a party.'_

* * *

Sukka blew a strand of loose hair out of her face irritably. Their wild dash from Jeong Jeong the deserter's camp had been abrupt. She would have liked to stay a while and get a grip on her firebending. Aang hadn't appreciated being told to squat and breathe, but she had taken to heart the explanation that meditation and breath control were the best ways to prevent firebending danger.

It explained why Princess Ponytail always had a bunch of candles around. He was meditating to keep his temper under control. _Obviously_ it wasn't working for him, but that didn't mean the theory wasn't sound.

After six hours of squatting and breathing in the sun, Sukka had been allowed to sit and meditate in front of a candle. Aang hadn't learned the first lesson, and so he had been told to continue.

Of course he'd thrown a temper tantrum that ended up burning Katara. Sukka was really starting to hate that kid. Avatar or not, he was a total brat. If Katara hadn't learned the basics of healing, she might have actually killed him and headed back to the Northern Water Tribe in search of newborn babies possessed b y the Avatar spirit. It was actually kind of frightening to think of someone that irresponsible and immature with the incredible power an Avatar supposedly wielded. He was well-intentioned, but frankly speaking? He was impulsive and not very bright.

Jeong Jeong had been similarly unimpressed by Aang. On the other hand, he had been _very_ impressed with Katara. 'Envious' was probably the better word. When he bemoaned that he hadn't been blessed with an element that could build and heal instead of just destroy, Sukka heard the silent refrain she'd been hearing all of her childhood. It was hard enough to be a bastard firebender in a water tribe. Seeing that her perfect baby sister had the gift of waterbending was a particularly bitter pill to swallow, not least because she loved Katara too much to express that bitterness.

She snuggled into Appa's warm fur for protection against the wind and sighed. At least she'd gotten some insights into the basics of firebending. There would be other chances to improve. Perhaps she could look at those scrolls when they landed and try to work through actual firebending moves.

The younger kids were actually asleep only about ten minutes after they'd taken off the ground, a fact that amused Sukka. Apparently the excitement had worn them out. Not that Sukka wasn't tired too, but she sort of felt obligated to stay awake. She didn't know where she was going, and Appa was really too intelligent to need to be steered, but she thought it would only be fair to stay up and keep him company. He was a companion, not a canoe.

She had plenty to think about anyways. It had only been a moment, but as they'd been climbing up onto Appa's back to escape the firebenders that invaded the camp, she thought she'd seen Zuko.

But that was ridiculous, she told herself. He had to be halfway to the North Pole by now. Even if he had been there, she would have seen his soldiers. Granted, they all looked alike in their uniforms, but she thought she would have been able to tell the difference between the Marine's uniforms and what the people who'd stormed the camp had been wearing. She was pretty sure they weren't wearing the familiar plate armor, though it was similar. The Marine's armor was probably a different, rust-resistant metal made to cope with the constant damp of sea air.

Her pack was fastened tightly and she had to be careful not to disturb the sleepers, but Sukka managed to pull a blanket out. Carefully she unbuckled the Kyoshi armor, gloves included, and stowed them away. She made a face- it barely fit in her pack. Still, she managed to slide out her hair accessories and put them in the bag. She didn't want to fall asleep with them in.

With the blanket Gran-Gran had lovingly packed- apparently she'd had faith that Katara would find her- the night was less cold. She sighed. "This isn't so bad, is it Appa?" She scratched amicably at the back of his neck. "We should probably continue flying at nights. Otherwise, we're really easy to spot. Does that sound all right, buddy?"

The low, rumbly roar he gave sounded like an affirmative, but she resolved to have Aang check just in case. He seemed to have an almost supernatural understanding with Appa and Momo.

It was too dark to look at her scrolls, she had no one to talk to, and couldn't exactly practice anything. Well… maybe she could meditate?

With a pout, she decided meditation was probably the most constructive use of her time that would leave her alert enough to wake the others if something happened.

As the sun streaked colors over the horizon, Appa began to yawn, and the kids started to stir, Sukka felt relatively certain that no one had managed to track them. She snorted at the thought- it would be nearly impossible to track a flying animal at night. Assuming Appa was willing to do so regularly, they should set up a nightly watch system. She couldn't stay up every night, after all.

The three set up camp near the outskirts of a town called Gaoling. Well. The term 'town' wasn't giving it quite enough credit. Gaoling was a small city.

"Aang. I'm going to go have a look around town. Would you stay here and keep an eye on Sukka while she sleeps?"

The boy pouted. "But Katara, I want to go explore town!"

She knelt, lacing up the soft leather boots Suki had provided. "Aang, we can't leave her alone while she's sleeping. There's just something I have to do really quick. Pakku asked me to check on someone here as a favor. I'll come back soon, and then we can go explore town together when Sukka is awake and figure out our next move."

Aang made a face at the mention of the angry old waterbender. "Better you than me, I guess." He sat down hard in the dirt, legs akimbo. "Momo and I will… go look for berries in the clearing!" He shot to his feet again and snatched Momo out of the air. "I bet we can find tons of berries for Appa!"

"Sounds like a good idea," she called from behind her. Aang's fluid moods were finally starting to become normal to her. She hadn't been lying- Pakku had asked her to check up on someone, although she suspected that the meeting would be more to her benefit than anyone else's. She touched the wooden token in her pocket as if to make sure it was still there. Katara didn't really know what it was for, but she had been told to present it to a certain man who frequented a Pai Sho board in a teahouse in this area.

That was oddly specific knowledge of the behavior of someone that Pakku had doubtlessly never met.

Nonetheless, Katara was willing to try it. She'd been told that this person could point them in the way of an earthbending teacher for Aang. She wasn't willing to risk Aang being caught in some sort of trap, but she could investigate.

She found the teahouse easily enough. There was only one Pai Sho board with no one sitting at it. Uncertainly, she approached it, looking from side to side. She sat.

"Ah, looking for a game?" The teashop owner bustled to her side. "It'll be just a minute, I'm sure that Han will be with you in a moment. He's always looking for a partner. Can I get you a nice ginseng, or maybe a chai is more to your liking?"

"Um. The chai would be fine, thank you." Katara shifted on the short bench. An older man shuffled over to the other side of the table before she had her tea. He seated himself gingerly.

"Are you a regular player, then?" He reached for his pieces.

Katara slowly pulled the wooden token out of her pocket, holding it above her lap. "No, I'm afraid not." She gave a self-depreciating laugh. "I had an excellent tutor for a short while. He favored a particular opening gambit." She placed her own piece down on the board, and watched for any recognition in his eyes.

He silently mirrored the move with his own lotus tile. They quickly clacked down tiles in the pattern that Pakku had beat into her memory. Once it was done, she leaned back in relief. This had to be the guy. She absently accepted her cup of tea with thanks. "The circle is open. Welcome."

Katara inclined her head. "I'm afraid I am not a full scholar of this gambit." She struggled a little to remember the exact wording Pakku had given her with the warning that if she misspoke she would receive no information. "I was sent by a friend who wanted me to see how you were doing, since I was in the area."

A few hours later, Katara jogged back into camp with a grin, holding a mildly crumpled piece of paper in his fist. She waved it above her head. "Aang! We're going to the Earth Rumble!"

* * *

Sukka led the shorter kids through a crowd of rowdy, drunk earthbending fans shaking around betting slips. If she hadn't thought they'd protest she would have taken their hands to be sure they weren't lost in the press of bodies- the crowd seemed to be mainly men in their twenties, and her group was easily both the shortest and youngest present.

The crowd jostled her to the side, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. She turned to make sure that the others were behind her, and gestured for them to follow. She broke out of the crowd at a jog and beamed at the wide open space.

"It's weird that this area of the stadium is empty, huh?" She gestured broadly at the expanse of unoccupied seats. "I for one would like a good view, both for the show and for teacher-spotting purposes."

The matches were a ridiculous amount of fun, and the dirt clods that reached the stands were too small to be dangerous. Sukka knew it was an act- the posturing, grandstanding, and elaborate costumes sort of gave that away- but that didn't make it any less fun. And then she saw The Boulder. Her first reaction was to giggle. Then, '_whoa, look at __**all those muscles**_.' Her silly grin only grew when he stomped around with dramatic flair and began trash-talking his first opponent.

"Yeah!" she outright screamed, clenched fists hovering in front of her face. "The Boulder is going to wipe the floor with you, little man!"

Beside her, Aang and Katara slunk a little further down into their seats in embarrassment. Sukka's yelling was drawing attention, which was a mildly impressive accomplishment considering that a good half of the audience was drunk and yelling encouragements at the athletes.

'_Maybe it's because she's a girl?_' Aang tried to look at her again, and still couldn't see why the crowd was so interested in her jumping up and down.

By the time the final match rolled around, Sukka was all but frothing at the mouth with excitement. Aang had just about resolved himself to asking The Boulder to be his tutor after he won the final bout- the man seemed a little eccentric and didn't listen to the earth and wait like Bumi had described, but he defeated all of his opponents quickly and with a lot of style.

Katara was the only one who thought that he seemed like a thoroughly silly human being.

After a concessions break, the announcer trotted out to whip the crowd into a frenzy for the title match. The Boulder strutted onto the arena to a chorus of cheers and thrown confetti. And then the defending champion emerged from the shadows and rode a wave of earth into the arena like she was surfing.

"Whoa," Katara commented. "She's young."

The Boulder shared Katara's reservations about the ethics of fighting such a little girl. Sukka rolled her eyes at the concept- Katara should have known better. Apparently the Blind Bandit thought so too, and it took her approximately three seconds to infuriate The Boulder to the point where he attacked her anyways. When she laughed derisively at him, Aang suddenly straightened and stared at her. "That's the girl I saw in the swamp!"

Sukka's face scrunched in confusion. '_He met her in a swamp?'_

In one move, Sukka's dreams of watching The Boulder blaze through every bender who dared challenged him died a swift death. She was still blinking a few moments later, trying to process the efficiency and ease with which the Blind Bandit had taken down her champion.

"That's my earthbending teacher." Aang stood up and practically danced with excitement. "That's the one!"

"You should go down there and talk to her," Katara commented. "Before she leaves."

Aang frowned. "That's a good point."

Sukka slumped back in a pout, mildly devastated at the anticlimactic defeat of her new hero. That distraction was why she didn't have time to protest when Aang shouted that he would challenge the champion and fluttered down into the ring.

"What is he thinking!" She shook her fist. "He doesn't know any earthbending. If he did, he wouldn't need a teacher." Katara merely shrugged.

They could tell that Aang's mouth was moving, but couldn't hear what he was saying. Sukka crossed her arms and sat back, resigned to waiting. And then Aang used airbending to knock the girl out of the ring. "That's cheating," she mumbled in irritation to her sister while the crowd erupted into confused whispers and the embarrassed champion climbed to her feet. "You can't use airbending in an earthbending match."

The crowd seemed to agree. "Hey, she's getting ready to leave!" Katara jumped the railing. Sukka followed.

"Hey, wait up, Miss Blind Bandit! Can we talk to you for a moment?"

"No." The girl stomped one foot and a chunk of earth flew straight at Aang. "Go away."

"Please, it's very important," Katara begged. "This is the Avatar, and he needs an earthbending teacher. A really good one. We were hoping that you would train him."

The girl was gone before she'd even finished her statement. Katara sighed. "Well… What are we going to do now?" She turned to face Sukka, who shrugged.

"We're going to find her." Aang's expression was uncharacteristically serious. "In my vision in the swamp, she had a pet flying boar. How common could that be?"

None of the three children noticed The Boulder talking to Xin Fu with an uncharacteristically serious expression, glancing unhappily at Aang's back. Sukka had already recognized that Aang had technically cheated, but she failed to speculate about how obvious that would be to any other spectator, and just how the people who'd lost the enormous money bag Aang was now holding would feel about it. Later, she would regret the oversight.

* * *

Zuko breathed in with difficulty, trying to keep his temper. Almost as soon as he had gotten back to his ship, they had been boarded someone from the local garrison trying to find out how he'd been tracking the Avatar. They had doubted his story and commanded him to wait. The ship had lingered in port while Zuko fumed impotently all the while.

When someone came to his ship again, he couldn't help but roll his eyes. It was one of the two officials he'd met with before, some paper-pushing bureaucrat promoted because of an important family instead of a real soldier.

Zuko had little patience for people who coasted on the worth of their family name. Even as a child, he'd noted the simpering idiots his father was surrounded by and was unimpressed. Royalty didn't get to coast like that- aside from having an incredibly demanding education, it was all but required to serve in the military or go on some sort of quest worth speaking of. Ozai was the only adult royal in seven generations without military history, but it was a little late for that now.

In a moment the interloper stood at attention, clearly waiting for permission to speak.

'_It took them long enough to straighten their damn paperwork out_.'

"Yes?" He barked.

"You are free to go. Are you certain that your report was complete?" It was clear from the man's expression that he didn't believe the report was anywhere near truthful, but Zuko wasn't about to start another irritating argument.

"Yes," he said curtly. "Now get the hell off my ship so I can get back to my mission." Uncle would have been disappointed in his lack of diplomacy, but Zuko didn't see the point in pretending to like people who didn't like him.

Commander Hua's face twisted into clear disapproval before it straightened and he briskly nodded. At the helm, Jee tilted his face forward to hide a smile. It was nice to see the Prince's temper directed at someone who deserved it for once.

"We're taking off," Zuko strode away and ignored Jee's salute.

From his position halfway down the gangplank, Commander Hua had to break into a hasty shuffle to get to land before the metal shuddering underneath him began to lift. He turned to glare back at the ship. "No wonder the princess wants to find the Avatar first," he grumbled resentfully. "That boy is a nightmare. He should know better than to lie in official reports, especially when we have a paper trail proving he'd known where to go before the Avatar even showed up."

As unorthodox as it was, he wouldn't mind passing on the information of the reward the crown princess was offering to any bounty hunters who returned the Avatar to Fire Nation custody. Such a tidy sum would keep any bounty hunting scum in riches for the rest of their miserable lives. It was probably worth it to prevent that rude child from inheriting the throne.

Back on the ship, Zuko finally deigned to tell the navigator where they were headed next. He'd remembered the direction the Avatar and his companions had flown off in and conjectured as to their possible destination almost a week ago, but had kept the information to himself. He didn't trust anyone onboard except for Uncle. It was just better to ensure there was no way for those officials to convince his crew to share information. If they didn't know anything, they couldn't share information with any of the vultures now circling in on his quest for the Avatar.

It didn't make any sense for them to be heading to Gaoling, however. He'd assumed that this Avatar was untrained and would need to learn waterbending. Gaoling was an Earth Kingdom city, famous even in the Fire Nation for their brutal underground earthbending tournament fights.

'_Maybe he already has a waterbending teacher,_' he thought, remembering that the girl had been a waterbender. He knew enough talented teens that he didn't dismiss the possibility she was a master based on her age. If that were true, they might be rushing to find an earthbending teacher before the Fire Nation managed to get someone monitoring all possible teachers. That theory didn't quite fit either- how would a Southern Water tribe bender have achieved their mastery? Supposedly the style was extinct.

Of course… he remembered that the firebender girl had mentioned that they had family from the Northern tribe. Perhaps a waterbender had secretly emigrated and taught their child? That theory would explain why they were still in the middle of the continent instead of heading straight north for the other water tribe- she had been training the Avatar as they traveled. He couldn't claim to be an expert on the flying speed of …whatever the hell that thing had been, but he'd seen it take off quickly enough that it should have had them much closer to the North Pole by now if they'd intended to go straight there.

He sighed. If that was true, then he had less time to capture the Avatar than he'd counted on. Zuko didn't want to fight a child- but it would be much easier to take and keep an unrealized Avatar into custody than the literal force of nature that a fully-trained Avatar was said to be.

"I'll just have to find him quickly." Speaking to the empty room made him feel a little better- more assured of his own purpose. Zuko had to fight down a grin. Finally, something was going his way. After three years of searching his persistence had been rewarded and the hunt for the Avatar was on for real. All the knowledge he'd accumulated about airbenders hadn't been a waste at all- although it must have been somehow incomplete, because he couldn't even begin to figure out how the Avatar could be so young.

* * *

As it turned out, no one in Gaoling had a pet flying boar. On the other hand, it was the sigil for an incredibly affluent family who happened to have a mansion in the area. No one they asked knew anything about a little girl- they only had words of praise for the couple who indirectly employed a good third of the merchant suppliers in the region.

Getting into the Bei Fong manor was much easier than getting Toph out of it. The Bei Fong family were incredibly affluent merchants who had been recently elevated to nobility. As such, they were very interested in rubbing elbows with the Avatar and the daughters of the Chief of a foreign nation. (That sounded more impressive than it was- Hakoda led a nation of only about 1,600 people, scattered across tiny villages).

They hadn't exactly decided if they wanted to ask Toph to come along or if they would stay and train in Gaoling despite the risk that they'd be caught if they stayed still too long, but the point might have been moot- Toph's parents clearly didn't realize she was a champion earthbender.

Dinner at the Bei Fong's was awkward, though delicious and varied. Sukka devoured pastries, little slivers of beef, and pretty rolls of raw fish in rice as politely as she could. It was a huge step up from whatever Katara managed to put together in a cook pot with limited ingredients night after night while they traveled. Their hostess had seemed like a flighty, inattentive woman, but she honed in on every oddity that indicated her guests were not telling her everything. There were quite a few hints- Aang kept trying to tell them that he wanted Toph to teach him earthbending, and she wouldn't let him finish his sentences by earthbending under the table or verbally interrupting.

The adults must have thought that Aang was insane. By the end of dinner, Poppy Bei Fong's smile was a bit cracked and her husband looked as though he was reconsidering the wisdom of welcoming the Avatar and the heir of the Southern Water Tribe into his home. Nonetheless, they politely invited the group to stay the night.

Aang jumped at the chance before Sukka could, probably thinking that he would have another chance to talk to Toph. Sukka just wanted to sleep on a real bed. It wouldn't be quite like her furs at home, but it had to be better than sleeping in the dirt. It just had to be.

Sukka and Katara had been given rooms next to each other. By the time they went to find Aang, he had left his room. The next thing they knew of him was when a panicked guard ran through the house to find Poppy Bei Fong and tell her that rogue Earthbenders had kidnapped Toph and Aang.

Sukka groaned. '_Oh, shit._' That kid had the worst luck. All the terrible things that happened to Aang were downright improbable.

* * *

I skipped the rescue Aang/Toph arc plus the falling out with her parents because I wasn't going to change it from the canon interpretation, and who wants to read something they've already watched? How about seeing Toph instead? Toph rocks.

* * *

Toph curled up in her bedroom, feeling like crying for the first time in a very long time. Being tough hadn't worked. For one brief, shining moment she had thought her parents understood her and that they accepted her. She'd thought that maybe they'd even let her have friends, and go do something heroic by training the Avatar, of all people.

Their reaction had been that they'd given her far too much freedom and that she was clearly in better health than they'd thought. They were happy about the last part- but their revelation sent chills up Toph's spine. The only reason that they hadn't had her feet bound like most noble girls was their fear that she was too frail to ever get married. Obviously there was no point in further incapacitating her if she would never make a good marriage. If they thought that she wasn't frail anymore… Well. Twelve was a little old for foot binding, but it wasn't exactly late enough that she was safe.

The thought outright terrified her. With her feet broken and toes curled under, all her hard-won sensitivity and skill at sensing vibrations would be lost. She couldn't use her seismic sense if she had a callus or blister- there was absolutely no way she would be able to see with her feet broken and wrapped in cloth for years.

That didn't even account for the horror of an arranged marriage- Toph would be locked up inside some manor like a bird in a cage for the rest of her life, under the care of someone who doubtlessly didn't care for her. For all their faults, her parents loved Toph. But they also thought that marriage was the best thing a girl could hope for, and Toph wasn't interested in that life at all.

She'd never seriously considered the possibility before because her parents thought they would care for her until she died, and if they died first she would pass into a cousin's custody. But if her frailty didn't make an advantageous marriage impossible… well. Her blindness wasn't hereditary, and she was told that she was very pretty. Someone might actually want to marry her, or at least not be put-off by her blindness to an extent where they would marry her for the sake of inheriting the Bei Fong fortune of which she was the sole heir. Even blind and with bound feet she could perform the duties of a hostess through dictation.

She had slipped away to cry while her parents discussed taking her out of her toddler-level earthbending classes and having the lady tutor who had tried to teach her to make pottery and sculptures with earthbending come back. At this point, it was a bit obvious that her failure in the 'ladylike' aspects of earthbending had been intentional, and not because she was blind and couldn't visualize what she needed. (As much as her parents wanted her to be a little lady, they knew it was far too dangerous to leave a bender untrained. If she 'couldn't' learn the genteel art, then she had to learn the cruder movements. At one point she had hoped her parents would reflect such lessened strictness in other aspects of her life.)

That night while her parents slept, she changed from her pajamas into her Earth Rumble costume –the only clothes she had that were remotely suitable for travel outside of a carriage- and packed what supplies she could gather silently. She wanted to say goodbye- but knew that she needed to put as much distance as possible between her and her parents before they knew she was gone. The arm of the Bei Fong family was long. By morning, a host of retainers would be chasing after her and messages would be winging to any allied families or Bei Fong trading posts to search for her.

She debated the wisdom of making a doll of earth to put under her covers so that anyone who peeked their heads in to check on her would see nothing amiss. '_That'd probably be rubbing it_ in', she thought guiltily. Instead she tucked her pillows under the blankets and hoped it looked alright- she couldn't tell.

Toph felt a bit sick, contemplating leaving her parents like this. They would be terrified for her- in their own way, they wanted the best for her. The problem was that they thought what was best for her was a safe life. She'd never been away from home for long. She already missed her parents. But she couldn't live her whole life for them. She wanted to explore the world, have friends, and do something that really mattered with her life.

Then with new determination Toph created the hole that led to the permanent tunnel out of her room for the last time and rode a wave of earth to the end. She took just a moment to look back into the infinite blackness in the direction of her childhood home at such a close distance that she could feel the familiar gates, wiped the tears from her useless eyes (mum always said they were pretty, like pearls), and extended her senses as far as possible in order to sense three familiar people bedded down for the night in the area. It'd only been a couple hours since they'd been thrown out of the Bei Fong home, and they were almost certainly close by in hopes of finding another earthbending master in the morning.

Her entrance was flashy, done mostly to distract her new companions from asking too many questions. She beamed, hands on her hips and lied, "My parents changed their minds and said I could come!"

They actually seemed to buy the lie- that was naïve of them, wasn't it? Sukka seemed uncertain, but pleased that she'd come. She was the one to suggest that they leave. "I mean, quite a few people knew the Avatar was here today. Since we have Aang's earthbending master, I think we should leave as soon as possible and find someplace to hide out while he learns earth and practices water. Someplace where the Fire Nation won't chase us, ideally."

Toph had an answer for that one- conveniently enough, a place where her parents hadn't been in years. "We should go to Ba Sing Se. The Fire Nation has been trying to get in there for almost a decade, but the walls of Ba Sing Se have never fallen. They had a great general who nearly did it once, but he's retired and hasn't been replaced by anyone who could do it." Her voice was confident. She felt like she was playing a part at a rumble again- but she wasn't, this was her life now!

If she wasn't so determined to be as tough as her persona, Toph might have squealed with happiness. If she had, that feeling would have quickly left when she was hoisted up onto the back of something warm - "This is Appa! Say hi to Toph, Appa. She's my new friend!" – and left completely blind in the cold with the knowledge that she was hurtling through the sky at a height that would kill her if she fell and no idea of what was around her.

Flying fucking sucked.

* * *

Suki struggled futilely against the ropes binding her wrists behind her back, fuming at the bastards ransacking Kyoshi Island. "We are a neutral state!" she yelled because there was no one else to do so. The cowardly mayor who should have been talking to them was dead. "I demand that you tell me why you are doing this."

A firebender without a helmet sneered at her. "You can't claim neutrality after you scum helped the Avatar, a sworn enemy of the Fire Nation." He gestured to a soldier with a skull-faced mask. "Grab her and bring her inside. I think that we'll have a chat." The expression on his face was ugly. "Tell us what we need to know, and we won't hurt anyone else. Your village is going to be burnt to the ground and your fields salted for your treachery, but the Fire Nation is not unreasonable."

"But that'll kill everyone- we'll starve!" she protested even as she was dragged to her feet, past where her shamed-looking subordinates were tied. Michiko, the youngest trainee, was giving gasping sobs and shaking her head slowly in disbelief. Suki wanted to reach over and wipe the tears away, but all too soon she was stumbling over the threshold of the building those bastards had been using for interrogations.

In the end, Suki said nothing. It was instead one of the little girls who had followed Aang around –a giggly little concoction named Koko- who broke and told the story to dispassionate metal faces. No one could blame her. She had a second degree burn in the shape of a handprint on her tiny face, and shook from pain and shock when she was pushed out of the building.

"Much obliged, ladies." The interrogator had the nerve to pleasantly tip his head at the warriors huddled around the younger girls. Suki outright shook with rage.

At a wordless signal, the assembled soldiers wove a gigantic wave of fire and blasted it at the village. Thatch roofs caught on fire instantly, and timbers followed a few moments later. A wail of grief rose from the subdued villagers- most of whom weren't bound like the Kyoshi warriors were, as they hadn't tried to fight. One boy ran towards a burning building, shrieking about his parakeet. Suki gasped- but a firebender swung out of the line to pick him up and firmly carry him over to an adult. He gave a curt "Keep him in hand" before rejoining the line trooping out of the village.

The Fire Nation warships were sailing away before the villagers managed to find tools to untie the Kyoshi Warriors. Suki rubbed feeling back into her wrists, eyes firmly attached to the destroyed dojo and Kyoshi's temple. The temple the warriors were meant to protect.

All around her, the quiet disbelief turned to tears and frantic questions as to what they would do now. Many livelihoods were lost. Two half-trained earthbenders worked frantically to smother the fires and salvage what they could, and the rest of the village formed a hasty water line with buckets.

They didn't manage to save much, though they worked for what felt like hours and even Suki, who was in great shape, ached from the effort.

Her lips firmed into a hard line. "It is time for Kyoshi Island to join the war," she announced. "We cannot have truce with scum who don't respect their obligations." A cheer went up among the younger adults, and others stopped to listen to her. "The Kyoshi Warriors are going to go to the mainland! Anyone who wishes is free to stay here and rebuild. We will escort everyone else to Ba Sing Se."

In the end, only those with country hidden in the valleys stayed. Crossing the strait to the mainland took a long time with the one boat the Fire Nation hadn't damaged beyond use, and Suki used the time waiting on shore to discuss plans with her warriors. Some wanted to find the Avatar and offer their aid, others the Earth King. Suki had originally planned on helping refugees travel like they helped locals, but her girls had vetoed the idea. They were angry and would rather be proactive than reactive.

On one hand, Suki was proud. She still quietly hoped that her girls would calm down- they were too small a force to make a head-on attack on any significant target. They were suddenly flooded with requests for training from young girls who had previously shown no interest. That was both a blessing and a curse- they desperately needed the numbers, but it would be impossible to train such young warriors on the road. It was one thing to take older trainees who already had their weapons, but they didn't even have the armory anymore to gift the new recruits with weapons. Sukka had been the last girl to receive equipment from the armory, and would remain the last girl entrusted with weaponry Avatar Kyoshi had commissioned and tested herself.

They'd have to commission fans, she decided grimly. There were capable blacksmiths all over the kingdom. Their weaponry was passed down from Kyoshi herself, and had never been replicated, which was partially the reason behind the difficulty opponents had in facing Kyoshi Warriors. Suki wasn't ready to give up that advantage or the tradition just yet, although it would be easier to acquire more katanas.

Surely a skilled blacksmith could rediscover the secret behind their construction if given a fan to examine. Most of the girls were ready for revenge, but surely one or two could be persuaded to settle down and train a new crop of recruits in a quiet village somewhere so that their traditions would stay alive even if the worst happened to the fighting force. Right now, the survival of their history was in a precarious position. Spreading out would help improve the odds. Any half-trained girls with them would be easily killed. Even the elites had barely made a dent against a fighting force four times their size in full armor. She noted with a harsh determination that they needed a strategy for working around Fire Nation armor.

Koko died from infection after a few days of suffering despite their best efforts, and was buried near the road. Her friends were pale-faced and hard. They didn't giggle anymore. Suki couldn't even be glad that all of them were taking up training, taking turns practicing forms with borrowed fans when the group stopped at night. Their recruits had swelled from twelve trainees at varying levels (counting two who were almost ready) to almost forty. In just a few years, the Kyoshi warriors would have levels of military strength they hadn't seen in almost a decade. She would have traded the advantage in a heartbeat if it meant her village was safe.

Of course, the village was just walls. She still had its people in her protection. She had failed to protect the relics of Kyoshi, but paintings could be re-commissioned, weapons re-forged, and a new temple could be built. The people of Kyoshi couldn't be brought back from the dead. The Fire Nation had killed very few people. That at least she was thankful for.

"Suki." Biyu touched her arm, drawing her attention back to earth. "I don't think that Ba Sing Se is a good place to train new girls."

Suki frowned at her subordinate. "What do you mean?"

"Well…" Biyu laced her fingers behind her back and gave a stretch. "I don't know how we'd find room to train, or that there'd be a blacksmith around. They have that army of elite earthbenders- non benders serve in the army proper. Why would they have a good blacksmith around? And Ba Sing Se has been a refugee city for over seventy years. We need a dojo, or at least plenty of space. I think that we need to find a remote little area that the Fire Nation won't care about to settle down our girls."

Suki bit her lower lip. "That's not a bad idea," she said reluctantly. "We should talk as a group when we stop for the night and figure out our options."

* * *

"We just missed them?" If he were another person, Zuko might have tried to rip out his hair in frustration.

"It was very exciting to see the Avatar!" the cheery-faced housewife chirped. "It is a shame that you missed him and his companions."

"Yeah," Zuko said sourly, "It breaks my heart."

"Excuse me!" a voice interrupted. A grumpy looking old man strode over and assumed an aggressive posture. "Are you friends with those scoundrels? They knocked over all my cabbages, after I helpfully told them where to find the girl they were looking for."

"They were looking for a girl?" Zuko fixed pale eyes on the old man. "Why?"

He snorted. "I don't pretend to know. They seemed to think that there was an earthbending girl with a pet flying boar around. I told them that the flying boar is the sigil of the Bei Fong family. I've never heard of them having a daughter, but I'm not exactly in their hoity-toity social circles." He waved a hand in mock-fancy circles in the air, doing a surprisingly good imitation of the pretentious mannerisms of many nobles Zuko had seen. "Then they ran right off without even thanking me or buying a single cabbage, and that airbending brat knocked half the cabbages off my cart. I was chasing them for hours!"

At his side, Iroh bowed. "My apologies for our rude friends, good sir. May I offer you a token of recompense?" He flashed a single gold coin, and greedy eyes fastened to it. "Could you tell an old man where to find the Bei Fong family? I have been worried sick over those young people, and I'm afraid I didn't expect them to be so inconsiderate. Rest assured, I will have a discussion with them."

The man snatched the coin and gave a slippery smile. "Of course, sirs. The Bei Fong estate is on the east side of town, on the path marked with white gates. You can't miss it."

As they walked away, Zuko muttered "why did you bribe that old man? It isn't our responsibility to ensure that the Avatar behaves."

Iroh gave a light chuckle. "Oh, my nephew. If a small sum compensates for his troubles and distracts him from asking too many questions about why two men in expensive Fire Nation clothing are looking for the Avatar, it is worth it, is it not?"

The Bei Fong estate was indeed easy to find. The lady and master of the household were in a meeting when they arrived, but soon came to greet them. Iroh had never seen either of them, but they were well informed. They recognized him on sight and bowed. Despite their courtly manners and desire to suck up, they were obvious distracted. "Forgive us," the woman started. "Our daughter has gone missing and we were hiring some men to find her. We are very worried." She sniffed, lifting a heavy sleeve to cover her face. "Despite our hospitality, the Avatar chose to take our little girl with him."

Zuko eyed them closely. This was a better lead than he'd been hoping for. "Why would the Avatar want your daughter?"

The woman gave a little sob. "He had some ridiculous idea that she was meant to be his earthbending teacher." Iroh's gaze sharpened and Zuko knew he was cataloging every tiny reaction and assessing it for sincerity.

'_They found another bending prodigy, like that water girl?_' If this Bei Fong girl was really good enough to teach the Avatar, then it was a good bet that he'd look for a young firebender to be his teacher. That was a strange choice- a group of kids wasn't exactly inconspicuous. Eventually someone was going to wonder who was supposed to be watching the little hooligans.

"Lady Bei Fong, I am sorry to hear that. I am afraid that I must tell you that the situation is even worse than you fear. "Zuko had to consciously work not to look inquisitively at his uncle and undermine him. '_What is he doing?_' It wasn't like Uncle to make people worry instead of calm their fears.

"This is my nephew, Prince Zuko." He stood a little straighter when the eyes of everyone in the room flickered to him. "It is his task to find and capture the Avatar for his father. However, we are no longer the only ones hunting him. Many dangerous men- bounty hunters and army folk looking to make a fortune are searching for him as well. I understand that your daughter is merely a child who has been mislead by a group of children, but there are many who would be more interested in the money the Avatar's head could bring than the morality of harming a child. Even if they know who she is, if she stands between them and their prize they will not hesitate."

Poppy Bei Fong looked about ready to faint. She sat heavily onto the floor, ignoring her husband's exclamations and fretting. "My poor baby," she whispered. "Oh, Toph." She began sobbing.

Her husband stepped forward, looking desperate. "But she's just a little girl! She's blind and helpless and…" he trailed off. "And we just sent a couple of men off with orders to retrieve her. What if they don't succeed, or if they decide they'd rather go after the Avatar? We would give everything we have if it would bring her home safely, but we cannot hope to compete with the draw of gold that could be promised for the Avatar."

"If you would be so kind as to give us any information and aid you can spare, I would swear on my honor that I will do everything in my power to safely return your child to you. We have a slight advantage on any bounty hunters, but do not know where he might be heading now."

Zuko forced down an inappropriate smile. '_Uncle really knows what he's doing, doesn't he?'_ He was so close to the Avatar that he could feel it. The child had been in this very home just yesterday.

Poppy Bei Fong prostrated on the floor, and Zuko averted his eyes in embarrassment. "I will tell you everything you need to know," she promised in a voice thick with tears. "Thank you, your highnesses. The Bei Fong family will owe you allegiance forever."

Once they had been settled into rooms for the night, Zuko finally felt comfortable talking seriously with Iroh. "Do you really believe that the Avatar kidnapped their daughter?" He eyed his uncle.

Iroh shrugged philosophically. "It seems more likely that the young lady ran away to be with her new friends, but I do not really know any of the children involved." He paused. "Well, from what I know of Miss Sukka, I do not believe that her sister and their companion are likely to stoop to kidnapping, if for no other reason than because it would be an unnecessary amount of work that would inevitably backfire. If Lady Bei Fong is really an expert earthbender, then it would be all but impossible to hold her captive or force her to impart any teachings."

Zuko scoffed. "She didn't particularly strike me as a tactical genius."

"No?" Iroh placidly watched his nephew pace. "She certainly fooled us without lying, didn't she? If it weren't for the warning we got about Zhao's man-snatching, we would have done exactly as she intended, leaving her free to meet with her sister and the Avatar without leaving a trace." He frowned. "That is not even accounting for how she managed to arrange to meet with them at Kyoshi Island when they weren't even at her village when we visited. How did she know we would take her there? Did she intentionally reveal herself as a firebender so that we would not look more closely among her fellow villagers?"

Zuko cringed visibly. "First of all, thank you for the mental image of Zhao as a man-snatcher. I will never sleep again."

Iroh giggled a little.

"Secondly," the younger man continued firmly, "The meeting at Kyoshi Island had to be luck. There's just no way." He scowled. "It can't all be luck and circumstances in her favor, unfortunately. That means that the Avatar has at least one person with him who is capable of basic tactical thought."

"Yes," Iroh agreed calmly. "And that is why we will find him first."

Bewildered, her nephew shot him a look. "How do you figure that?" He flopped down onto the bed and put his head on his hands. "That doesn't even make sense."

Iroh put a warm hand on his shoulder. "Take heart. Tell me, does anyone else know that the Avatar has both a waterbending and an earthbending master, as well as someone with basic skills at planning?"

Zuko shrugged. "No one, probably. The official report just mentioned that the Avatar and two other children escaped from a rebel camp. It didn't even mention that the girls were water tribe."

'Because our young friend had them in Earth Kingdom disguises," Iroh gently pointed out. "Tell me, if you were planning to train the Avatar, knew that you were being chased, and had the teachers for the next two elements he needed to learn, what would you do?"

"That's easy. I'd go to ground, somewhere where it would be hard to follow me, and ideally where I either had allies to protect the group so I didn't have to watch them all or where I was unlikely to be found at all." Then Zuko groaned and hit his forehead with his right palm. "They're going to go to the Earth King in Ba Sing Se, aren't they?"

Iroh chuckled. "Now, now, it's not so bad! Fire Nation army troops are never going to get in there!"

Zuko exhaled so hard that he breathed flames. When he leapt to his feet with clenched fists, his uncle had to take an uncharacteristically hasty step back. "In case you hadn't noticed, we're Fire Nation military," he snapped. "We'll never get in either! With our luck, the Avatar will find his firebending teacher in there and come out nearly undefeatable. This is terrible news!"

"Ah, nephew." He waved his hands in a conciliatory manner. "It is true that Prince Zuko and his uncle Iroh, the General of the West will never be allowed into Ba Sing Se, and we have no army to break in with. However, two refugees with good papers could gain entry on any day of the week."

Zuko stared uncomprehendingly at his uncle. "You want to pretend to be refugees." It wasn't really a question.

* * *

Azula stood in the harbor surrounded by soldiers at attention, admiring her newest acquisition. It wasn't the newest or nicest ship she had ever seen, but it was nonetheless special to her… because it was Zuko's. She had always liked taking Zuko's things. It had been easy to convince her father that she should be sent to ensure the capture of the Avatar went smoothly. The suggestion that she should head a small, elite strike team had appealed to her. Accordingly, after this errand was over she would be heading to the very recently named New Ozai and to the Fire Nation territories where the national circus was touring. She was going to keep both of her minions out of this affair whenever possible, however. Ty Lee was too sympathetic to pathetic weaklings like Zuko, and Mai had always had a weakness for the idiot.

Unfortunately he wasn't here right now, so she'd have to wait to see the look on his face when he realized that even this frail hope of returning home had been taken from him.

'_How do I want to play this'_, she wondered idly while she waited for him to come back. She had considered crushing all his little dreams… then again, that might compel even him to try to act against her. She wanted him to be angry at Daddy, not her. Azula was going to keep her options open for bringing him home when she was safely installed as Fire Lord, maybe even as a favor to Mai. She did actually like Mai, after all. That would keep both of them in her pocket for the entirety of her rule. A few years living in the Earth Kingdom would make anyone grateful to return home.

Granted, it really had been her idea to take his ship and tell him privately that his right to hunt the Avatar had been rescinded because the Fire Lord didn't want him to embarrass them, but there was no reason to let Zuko know that. Iroh might figure it out, but if she showed enough sympathy to Zuko, he would be loathe to believe ill of her. He was predictable like that. Surely he hadn't changed so much in only three years.

Without his ship and crew, he would have no chance of finding the Avatar. She had prepared an incredibly generous purse and list of contacts he could go live with (all vetted to be on her side, of course) in order to back up her claim that she felt Daddy was being harsh and make it believable when she begged him to return home to her court because she could only trust family. What seemed to be a spontaneous act of charity affirming that she cared for him should make him feel guilty about even considering the possibility that she was the one manipulating events so that he couldn't return home.

If she could, she would separate him and Uncle Iroh. Uncle was likely to realize that she was the only person who really benefitted from Zuko's banishment, even though he knew Daddy well enough to assume he'd approved the plan. But Daddy hadn't ordered Iroh home- he didn't want the General of the West in the Fire Nation, possibly plotting against him. So the heavy-handed approach was out.

_'I'll just have to improvise.'_


	6. Chapter 6

Zuko ran his fingers through his phoenix tail, finding a small measure of comfort in the reminder of his identity. His voice broke when he tried to speak, but he didn't even notice.

"I don't get it, Uncle. I was doing well. Why would Father rescind my mission and give it to someone else when the Avatar appeared? Does…" _No. It __**can't**__ be that_. His father wouldn't have given him the task in the first place if he didn't want him home. His palms felt hot against his forehead.

Azula's face flashed through his mind, uncharacteristically sober and regretful. How low had he fallen, that Azula _pitied_ him instead of mocked him?

He slammed a fist into the table, not caring when it shuddered. Jerkily he stood up and began to pace. He couldn't sit still, not now.

Iroh's face was sorrowful. "I do not know." He shrugged helplessly. "I cannot understand either. The idea that you have somehow showed disrespect by withholding information seems like a pretext for some other aim. I have read the reports myself. There was nothing unsaid that the Fire Lord would care about."

Privately, Iroh rather suspected that Ozai did not want Zuko home, and had begun to fear that he would return home. Azula was his golden child, much the way that Iroh himself had been Azulon's favored as a child. But she was the second-born child. If there was even the slightest chance that the nobles and peasantry would sympathize with Zuko, it would be all but impossible to put her on the throne. Ozai would never tolerate an heir that held differing beliefs. He never intended to let him come home. Iroh had suspected, of course, but it would have been impossible to prove that to Zuko, who was utterly desperate to prove himself to his father. '_Ozai, you worthless bastard'_.

But he couldn't say a thing. Iroh told himself Zuko had to come to some conclusions on his own, but inwardly he cursed himself as a coward. He couldn't tell Zuko anything that would hurt him, even though blundering in pain and confusion was also tormenting the boy.

"What are we going to do?" Zuko's voice was small, and for a moment he was the child Iroh had left behind when he had gone to bring war to the Earth Kingdom.

Iroh closed his eyes, pained. "Azula suggested we wait out the war in New Ozai under the hospitality of the governor's family."

And wasn't that uncharacteristic? It suited Ozai's controlling, revengeful nature to make sure his chosen punishment was permanent, and to ensure he would never have a disobedient heir, but it was Azula who would directly benefit if they never returned to the Fire Nation. Any glory he earned would eclipse her prodigal bending and military understanding- what was third-hand knowledge of a princess' brilliance compared to the news that a prince had brought low the Fire Nation's ancient enemy? Even if she managed to conquer a dozen cities, a far more useful endeavor, her achievements would always be overshadowed by the mythological enormity of such a success.

Iroh didn't want to believe the worst of his only niece, but he had heard more than his fair share of stories about burnt cat-birds that never quite got attributed to her. And people did crazy things when the rule of a nation was at state. In light of the fratricidal horror story that their genealogical history was (something Azula had studied from a young age), making sure an elder sibling stayed under the careful watch of her friend Mai's family seemed positively tame. Indeed, he was certain that the move indicated Azula actually did intend to take care of Zuko, in her own way- the noble family involved had almost certainly been guaranteed upward status for their cooperation (not that they had a choice). If Iroh were the one planning to take the throne from his older sibling but keep everyone happy, he would have married his friend to that brother to ensure both parties remained grateful and loyal. And marriage to the Fire Lord's brother (or future Fire Lord, anyway) was the best instance of social mobility that a noble family without a son to marry to Azula herself could ever hope for. It wasn't such a terrible fate, really. Zuko could rejoin Fire Nation society, even in exile, perhaps even make friends and find some sort of happiness in New Ozai.

"So we're just giving up?"

That would kill Zuko. He'd driven himself past all limits and pushed away hopelessness for three years through the simple fact that he had a goal and one-minded determination. It was almost inconceivable that he'd been such a bashful child that Iroh had thought to advise him never to give up without a fight. There was no good response. If he encouraged Zuko, he could lose even the tentative protection Azula offered- this kindness was her first resort. If she really thought he would endanger her claim, she would act swiftly and end the perceived threat. But he couldn't quash his nephew's spirit either and tell him to accept defeat, despite the fact that it would be a rather neat solution for Iroh's constant guilt about encouraging Zuko to find the Avatar while quietly hoping he would fail. It was an evil thing, to have to put the fate of the world before the happiness of the boy he thought of as a son. If Iroh had been a lesser man, he would have resented it fiercely.

He had been hoping to have more time to slowly guide Zuko to the revelation that the Fire Nation's goals were corrupted by lust for power, the war was wrong, and that there was worth in the other peoples of the world. But not like this. Not another betrayal. Azula was setting herself up for the position Ozai had dominated for so long- someone who could control Zuko's every action and hurt him dearly for the sake of a crass goal like power or wealth. This could make or break his nephew- he could cling to Azula as desperately as he had his parents for love and affection, he could reject the Fire Nation altogether if he spotted the spiderwebs closing around him, or he could disregard all signs and blunder further into danger by continuing to pursue the Avatar despite the fact that his father had rescinded the mission in blind hope that success would make Ozai love him. Ozai would find only further disrespect and possible treason in interference in what he now viewed as someone else's task.

"Whatever you choose, I will follow you," Iroh said quietly, then closed his eyes.

The nerve in Zuko's jaw jumped and his pulse raced. "Do we have to choose right now?" He sighed. "I just… I just can't give up. For three years all I've wanted was to capture the Avatar and regain my honor. And…" Zuko swallowed, suddenly angry. "And Dad took that away! I don't understand why he's doing this to me. I thought he was giving me a chance to prove myself worthy! Why would he take this away from me when I actually had a chance of succeeding and coming home?"

The look of horrified realization on the face of the boy he thought of as a second son physically hurt Iroh, and he involuntarily recoiled. The hesitation was all it took to confirm the theory.

"Zuko…" He reached an arm out to draw his shaking nephew into a hug, but the boy flinched away. He was outright quivering now.

'_The shock could kill him! He won't be able to handle such a shift in his worldview.'_

The Fire Nation's complicated, multi-tiered hierarchy of loyalties and honors existed for a reason- in imitation of the unique traits of the ruling family themselves. They were spirit-touched, some said descended from actual dragons or fire spirits. That claim was a bit fanciful, but there was no doubt in Iroh's mind that there was some truth to the claims of their line's connection to the spirits of the Fire Nation. The darkness, insanity, and obsession connected to their line reflected the state of the nation's relation with the spirit world. For good or ill, Zuko was strongly held by the spirits of his homeland. Abruptly rejecting their influence was dangerous- angering spirits always was.

They may simply be unwilling to let go of their hold on the boy. Iroh had cut many of those ties himself, but with full knowledge of what he was doing and more gradually. His disillusionment had drawn him to reject certain influences first, up until he met the Sun Warriors and realized that he believed the Fire Nation had lost the real tie to their native element.

But Zuko was attempting to reject the Fire Lord… the station that signified everything about the current state of the Fire Nation.

"Uncle?" Zuko shook his head slowly as if he was pushing through water.

'_Forget his pride.'_

Ignoring the fact that he had already been pushed away once, Iroh pulled his nephew into a hug. The stiff form in his arms didn't relax, but from this boy not struggling away from physical affection was a strong statement. "Why don't we continue with our plan to see what is going on in Ba Sing Se, hmm? If we were correct and the Avatar is there, we can decide what to do. Possibly inform Azula. If nothing else, it will be an adventure to infiltrate the city that I once besieged. Just think- Fire Nation feet have not stepped inside those walls in over a hundred years."

'_I'll give him something to concentrate on. If he has a goal that is at least partly in service of the Fire Nation, he won't view himself at completely separate.'_

"How hard can it really be to get into Ba Sing Se? Refugees do it every day, right?"

Iroh smiled, grateful Zuko was willing to accept the distraction. "Harder than you think."

* * *

"Wow, getting into Ba Sing Se with you guys is much easier than it was with my parents. That's saying something."

"What?" Aang gave Toph a strange look. "We're not in Ba Sing Se. We haven't even landed. We're going someplace you'll really like, though!"

Toph blinked. "Really? But this looks just like it!"

Sukka snickered and hastily ducked the smack Katara aimed at her. "Don't encourage her bad jokes."

She stuck her tongue out at her baby sister. "Who, me?"

Katara paused contemplatively. "I'm… not sure which one of you I think will encourage the other." She turned to the front of the bison. "Aang, we've made a terrible mistake. We have to go back and leave one of them somewhere so they don't encourage each other and make the pun situation even worse."

"Whatever." Toph snorted and spat over the side of the bison. Aang cringed as the spit barely cleared the saddle. "Why aren't we almost to Ba Sing Se yet, anyways? I thought we were hurrying."

"We're traveling much faster than we could any other way," Aang said in a tone of mild annoyance. "Appa isn't a boat. We flew all the way up to the North Pole without really resting. He deserves a more relaxing pace for a while. Besides, wouldn't it be best if we got the beginning of earthbending training done outside of city walls? I get that we're trying to hide from the Fire Nation, but my first tries at waterbending kinda blew up in my face. I don't really want to cause damage to the city."

"Good thinking, Aang. That's very considerate of you," Katara said approvingly. He preened and the other two girls rolled their eyes. "Where is it that we're going, anyways?"

"I thought you might guess, actually. It's just a little out of our way, but do you remember the news we heard at the last place?"

She frowned and pushed a hair loop out of her face. "What, that a group of rebels destroyed an entire town by breaking a dam? What does that have to do with anything?" Sukka winced at that. Drowning was an unpleasant way to go. What a psychopath. The idea that someone would kill a village full of their own people to get at a few enemies was horrifying.

"It doesn't. I meant the other thing- the guy who mentioned that he just came from Chin village where they were working on preparations for a winter solstice festival!" He squirmed in his seat. "I haven't been to a festival in over a hundred years, and the guy said that Chin has the most elaborate festivals." He directed big kitten eyes at Sukka. "I thought we should do something fun, to celebrate Toph joining us."

"Well, I am worth celebrating." The youngest girl present flexed her toes, foot held in the air. Dirt fell onto Appa's fur coat.

"That's the spirit!" Aang bounced back into his old seat. "Yip Yip!"

The bustling village came into view a few minutes later. Tiny figures in bright clothing danced in the streets. It was hard to see the outlines of the buildings- all the light came from held torches, and the sun was setting. They had actually made a really good pace from Gaoling, flying almost all day with only grazing and potty breaks.

The younger kids were pretty psyched to spend a night inside village walls, but Sukka would have preferred another night to practice her firebending. As it turned out, the scrolls she had borrowed were not beginner's moves. She could perform the movements and had them well memorized, but she was missing something. Her fire reacted with enthusiasm, but not in the controlled manner the scrolls seemed to illustrate.

It was frustrating, and there weren't exactly many safe places to practice throwing flames that could extend fifteen feet in any direction, seemingly unrelated to what she actually intended to happen. Her sister was sympathetic to her plight of being a bender without a true teacher, but that didn't mean anyone was willing to spend time with her when she practiced. Sukka had vague theories about how she could counteract her lack of control by using her fans to move the flames (a sort of bastardisation of air bending for non-benders), but the idea was as of yet untested.

Appa came to an easy landing just outside the village gates, and Aang nimbly leapt down and helped Katara climb out of the saddle. Then they began walking away. Sukka felt an eye twitch. 'That little airhead is flirting with her. If he meant the gesture to be just polite, he'd have remembered to help the blind girl.'

"C'mon, Toph. Here, if you grip the saddle here, you know that the step is right below and you can just jump down."

"I don't need help." The twelve-year old pushed Sukka's arm away irritably.

"Fine then. I just figured that since I fell flat on my face the first time I got off, I'd give you some pointers. If you jump off the wrong spot, you're going to get your feet caught in that rope down there. Which makes the graceful leap off look significantly less cool."

Toph shifted, feeling for the spot Sukka had placed her hand on before. "Oh. I thought you were being condescending because of the blind thing." Her face flushed a little, but no one would have known if Toph didn't feel the extra heat on her cheeks. It was dark enough that Toph currently had the best vision through her seismic sense.

"Nope," she said, popping the 'p' sound. "I know perfectly well that you're capable. I'm four years older than you and you'd completely humiliate me in a fight. You're good at things I'm not good at. Allow me to massage my ego by retaining the title of the most considerate person on the five ton bison." On land again for the first time in hours, Sukka gave a big stretch, feeling the bones in her back slide comfortably. "Ah, that's much better."

Toph turned her head so that her right ear faced the village. "What's everybody so angry about?"

"I don't know what you're talk-…" Sukka trailed off, hearing irritable yells in the distance. "Aang makes friends everywhere he goes, doesn't he?"

"You think they're mad at Twinkletoes?"

Sukka shrugged, then remembered Toph couldn't see the gesture. "Well, I've found him pretty infuriating in the past. Like when he makes moon-calf eyes at my sister, or that one time that he helped her run away from home the day he met her." She paused. "You know, I never really got even with him for that."

"I think you might have to let that go. The villagers are trying to arrest him."

"Wait, what?" Her walk turned to a run. "What's going on here?" Katara and Aang were surrounded by a group of angry looking festival goers wielding torches. It wasn't the most encouraging start of dialogue she had ever seen.

"This boy is a murderer!" A man in green shouted, and the crowd behind him yelled in agreement.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Sukka waved her hands. "Are you kidding me? I have been with him for a pretty long time, and I can say that it is literally impossible for him to have killed anyone in this village within even your lifetime, old dude."

"It wasn't within my lifetime! That's the Avatar. Kyoshi murdered our honorable forefather Chin in cold blood." The crowd roared in agreement, and someone began throwing rocks. Aang airbent them away before anyone could get hit.

"I would never!" he protested. "I wouldn't kill anybody. I'll prove it to you!" He was almost in tears. "Monk Gyatso taught me that killing people is wrong. An airbender would never."

"You don't have to prove anything to these people," Katara snapped, directing a glare that would cow even Sukka at the villagers. "They should be ashamed of themselves. Let's go, Aang."

Sukka prepared to push a path out through the crowd and Toph flexed her toes in what was a menacing manner to anyone who knew her. Katara wrapped an arm around Aang and began to steer him to the gates.

"No." He shook off her arm. "I'm going to face their justice system and clear my name."

Sukka face-palmed, Katara looked aghast, and Toph just fidgeted as Aang was escorted to a prison cell. "So… does that mean we don't get to beat them up?"

Katara sighed. "I think that's exactly what it means, Toph."

While Aang languished in jail, the others asked questions about the supposed crime to build a case for Aang.

"How hard can it really be to find information about what Avatar Kyoshi did," Sukka pointed out. "Suki would know everything, and if Appa agrees to fly us back, we can be there and back before his trial. From what little I know of Avatar Kyoshi, I doubt that she would have killed this Chin guy in cold blood if he were such a stand-up guy. There's bound to be a reasonable explanation for this."

Toph shuddered. "Do we have to get back on the flying animal already? We just got off."

"I'm 'fraid so," Katara sympathized. "These people are nuts. I would feel really uneasy about splitting up any more than we absolutely have to. They won't do anything to Aang- he's already in jail. But they make me nervous."

"Besides, it won't take long at all. You'll really like the Kyoshi warriors," Sukka beamed. "We kick so much ass. You should have been born on Kyoshi Island, Toph."

"Flattery will get you everywhere, fangirl. Let's go meet some dangerous ladies."

Toph cleared a path through indignant villagers with a single stomp, sending them squawking and cursing to the edge of the road out of town with a wave of earth.

Appa agreed to help them out, lowing anxiously and looking like he half wanted to crash through the prison walls and run off with his boy. Even Appa thought Aang was too noble for his own good. If the girls had thought he had a chance of getting through Aang's thick head, they would have let him try.

The flight was nerve-wracking. Toph was almost nonchalant, but Katara was fretting and Sukka didn't know what to think. She didn't want to worry the younger kids, but she didn't know what the justice system here was like.

In the Southern Water tribe, justice was meted out to prevent people from harming the tribe. A murder would definitely be a crime against the tribe worth punishing, but the only punishment the tribe had was chosen by the chief after their counsel decided on guilt or innocence and only consisted of death or banishment (which usually ended in death on the ice).

From what little she knew of Fire Nation justice, the accused had little chance to defend themselves, and punishment had a wider range, including permanent incarceration. She wasn't quite sure of who exactly was in charge of assigning punishment- whoever accused someone of a crime?

She didn't know anything about how Air Nomads meted out justice, but there was a good chance that it wasn't how the people in Chin village did. Aang didn't know what he was getting into. The more she thought about it, the more nervous she felt.

"Oh, la." Katara breathed. "What happened here?"

"What?" Toph's head swiveled around hopelessly. Sukka looked up from her thoughts and realized the village below her was wrecked. Houses at the center of town were the worst- blackened, burnt-out shells. The building that had been Kyoshi's temple was completely ruined. The homes on the edges of town had clearly been splashed with water before they were completely destroyed, but very few of them looked livable even from the air.

Sukka swallowed hard, thinking of her friends here. "It's been burnt out," she explained quietly. "I… I don't see anyone here at all or any boats. The houses are almost all destroyed."

The two girls who could see what was below them scanned frantically for a hint of life as Appa lowered to the ground, and then soberly got off. The ashes were cold- whatever had happened here had happened at least two days ago. Toph tugged at Sukka's sleeve. "Uh, were there always four shallow graves here?" She pointed with her other hand at over turned soil with few footprints around it, a stark contrast to the heavily trodden ground everywhere else. There was something else strange about the footprints, now that Sukka was thinking about it- some of them were sunken deep, with pointed toes. They strongly resembled the very memorable heavy metal boots that the Fire Nation marines had worn on Zuko's boat.

"Oh la, no," Sukka managed to eek out. "No, Toph. I don't think there used to be graves there. I think the Fire Nation did this because they harbored us. This happened recently, and Kyoshi Island was neutral. There would be no other reason to do this except to make an example of people who help the Avatar, not when half the Earth Kingdom is actively fighting them."

"Well, crap." Toph kicked a cloud of dust up. "We're the only ones here for miles in any direction, as far as I can tell. We aren't going to find the help we need for Aang here."

"No. We aren't". Katara folded her arms, expression hard. "We don't have time for Aang to indulge his overblown sense of justice. We know he's innocent, and it isn't out job to prove that to every idiot in the world. We'll tell them what they're in for if the Fire Nation finds out we stayed there, and then leave. One way or another. We need to get to a safe location."

There was a long moment of silence. Then, "Whoa, Sugar Queen." Toph sounded impressed. "I didn't know you had it in you. Let's go knock some sense into anyone who gets in our way!"

After they brought Appa some sweet grass to refuel, the three girls climbed back on his back. Katara gave a luxurious stretch before settling onto her uncomfortable perch. "If we make about the same time, we'll be back before dark. We'll tell Aang we have to go."

"Right." Sukka dropped her shoes into the saddlebags and then curled up behind the horn of the saddle. Miserable, she tugged on the reins. "Yip yip, buddy." Appa gave a low groan and rose obligingly. Sukka sighed. "D'you think everyone here was okay?"

Toph flexed her filthy toes. "I bet they all left and that's why there aren't any boats here. And they're probably going the same place that we are- Ba Sing Se, where the war hasn't reached."

Sukka smiled thinly. "Maybe we can meet up with them." She poked at Toph. "I wasn't just flattering you when I said you'd love the Kyoshi Warriors."

Toph frowned. "You know, I just realized it's a little strange that Twinkletoes only found girl companions. Considering how few girls are fighters, it seems a bit unlikely, doesn't it?"

A giggle bubbled out of Katara's throat. "We're just that cool, guys. Did I ever tell you about the Northern water tribe princess? I thought she was a total pushover. Turns out she's a political sharkbat. See, they didn't want to train any girls, and when I was there…"

* * *

Hua dropped the body of the sissy teacher he had interrogated on the road and strode to his partner. "May as well fry that one up," he barked gruffly. "The other little piggy squealed. Turns out they were hired by the Bei Fong family to hunt down the Avatar."

Baya snorted and turned her nose up at the bulky prisoner. "That so? Well, we don't want any competition, not even from pathetic Earth Kingdom losers who can't make it twenty miles without spilling sensitive information in a bar."

"Wait, wait!" Xin Fu panicked. "Don't kill me! We won't interfere with your hunt, we weren't actually after the Avatar. We wanted the little girl he's traveling with." Baya's expression turned to outrage, and she burned the man alive with one swift punch of flames. He fell screaming to the ground, and then fell still. She willed the flames away, leaving a charred corpse.

"These savages are disgusting," she spat. "Chasing after a little girl."

Hua snorted. "Hey, he might have meant that she had a bounty, or worried parents willing to pay for her return. Something to look into, yeah? The Bei Fong family is a wealthy one. They could easily hire two men to go after a wayward child. Maybe even their own- I bet they'd be awfully thankful if we were to return any little girls we happen to run into. It would be irresponsible of us to leave any kids just wandering around the wilderness, anyway."

"Makes sense." Baya blew air over her fingers briskly to cool them down. She wasn't much of a firebender, unfortunately. If she had been, she would have had a cushy posting in the Marines instead of slogged through the mud in the army fighting Earthbenders on foot for four years. "It can't be anywhere near what we'd get for bringing in the Avatar, though." She gave a hoarse laugh. "Imagine, a couple of swords for hire like us could be national heroes- legends, even, if we bring him in."

"Yeah, going down in history will be almost as nice as the princess's purse." Hua grinned. "It sounds like the Avatar likes to stop in towns pretty often. D'you think it's worth it to check the closest village in the way he's been traveling?"

Paper rustled as Baya unfolded the map in her hip pouch. "That'd be… Chin." She sniffed. "That's a hideous name. I guess it's worth a try." She gingerly climbed up into her saddle, stroking her lizard-rhino's neck. "Think you can make it in four hours, boy?" she cooed at her mount. Hua snorted at the babytalk his longtime companion directed at her angry reptile, but smiled indulgently and climbed onto his mount as well. Baya had always had a motherly streak. Even when they had been in the army together, she had a distressing tendency to try to take care of the new kids. It figured that she would want to protect the Fire Nation from their ancient enemy, the Avatar.

* * *

The inhabitants of the village of Chin were crowded along the main street, staring up at where the angry village elder was gesticulating wildly on a stage with a giant illustrated wheel. Aang was sitting nearby, his hands tied behind his back but with bright eyes and an easy smile. _'Looks like even incarceration can't keep Aang down.' _Sometimes Sukka really did like the little dork. If he hadn't been secured, he would have been waving wildly. "Hi guys! Did you find out how to prove me innocent?"

The three girls dropped to the ground with two soft thuds (and one LOUD one, courtesy of the greatest earthbender in the world), although Appa remained hovering just above the crowd. "No." Sukka's lips thinned. "But we're leaving anyways, and you idiots will be grateful for it. We were recently in the village of Kyoshi, and we went back there to find out the other side of the story."

"HA!" the old man thumped his chest. "So even they admit that Kyoshi was a murderer?" Aang's face fell.

"No," Katara said calmly. She stepped forward, ice glistening at her fingertips. "They weren't there. The village was burnt to the ground. The Fire Nation is after us. They must be punishing anyone who associates with the Avatar. Which means that if you have any sense whatsoever, you will untie Aang right now and hope to Oma and Shu that no one knows we came here. We are leaving with Aang, whether you like it or not."

Men and women rustled uneasily and began to murmur against themselves. The headman banged his gavel angrily. "You don't get to threaten us, little girl!" He pointed the wooden mallet at Katara menacingly. "She's lying to frighten us from going through with the punishment her foul little friend deserves! I say we should try her too, and boil them both in oil!"

The crowd gave a bloodthirsty roar.

Aang cried out indignantly. "Katara isn't a liar!" They could barely hear him over the noise that all the adults around them were making.

Toph dug her toes into the dirt. "Did I just hear what I think I did?" She lifted one side of her mouth into a snarl. "They were planning to boil Twinkletoes in oil?" Sukka reached for her fans. At her side, Katara's water pouch began to tremble with the force of her temper.

And then fire exploded over their heads and the crowd began screaming. Katara blinked and looked up at her sister. "Since when did you learn that?"

Confused, Sukka looked at her own hands as if they belonged to someone else. "I don't think I did that."

"Thank you, Earth Kingdom scum, for making it easier for us to take the Avatar back to the Fire Lord's justice." A tall woman in plain brown clothes sauntered down the recently cleared path on the road, showing perfectly white teeth in a pleasant smile. A bulky man at a similar height walked just behind her, a massive sword on his back and flames sparking at his fingertips. They shared pale skin and silky hair as dark as any Fire Nation native Sukka had ever seen. She felt her jaw clench.

The village headman scowled. "He's facing justice here, for what he did in his incarnation as the Avatar Kyoshi!"

Toph suddenly stiffened. Before she had a chance to ask what was wrong, Katara turned left at the feeling of an elbow nudging her in her gut. "Aang! When did you get free?"

He smiled up at her, albeit a bit nervously. "Come on, like a few ropes can hold an airbender? I'm starting to think that it might be a good idea to get out of here while they argue over who gets to boil me. I'm sorry I insisted on facing their justice system. We know the truth, that's what counts."

"Good idea," Sukka agreed rapidly.

Toph sighed. "Are we _ever_ going to get to smash anyone?" she demanded crossly. "Because as far as I'm concerned, everyone here could use a few rocks to the skull."

"No, I think we should leave." Aang clicked his tongue, and Appa gleefully flounced down onto the ground. "Hey boy! I missed you while I was locked up." The bison moaned happily and licked Aang.

"Hey, they're getting away!" The thin woman hurled a wall of fire at Appa- and Toph lifted a massive wall of earth to protect him. It wasn't quite large enough- Appa gave a startled cry of pain and attempted to cover his sensitive nose.

"Let's go!" Sukka helped Toph and Katara leap up onto the saddle and get a grip before latching on herself. Aang was already perched on the horn of the saddle, scrambling at the reins. "Yip yip, Appa!" The bison obeyed immediately, clearly eager to get away from the source of flames. "Take the reins!" Aang shoved them at Katara. "Air is best for deflecting fire." He balanced nimbly on Appa's head, whirling his staff threateningly. The two firebenders threw a few more attacks as the little group rapidly sped away, but only two of them even came in range to hurt them.

"You're shaking."

Toph jerked her hands inside her top and scowled fiercely. "Am not. I'm just cold," she lied badly.

Sukka let the subject drop. "I don't think we should head straight for Ba Sing Se. They have some way to track us." She pressed her lips together in a thin line, and tried to think. "Or they've been tracking us by asking about bison sightings and the trail we leave by heading in a straight line towards out destination. We haven't been as good as we should have been about only flying at night." She groaned and fisted her hair. "Aang, do you know any place we could go to ground and then approach the city from another direction? Someplace isolated, that is really unlikely to be in Fire Nation control."

Aang thought for a minute, then altered their course slightly with a grin. "My friends, we are going to the Misty Palms Oasis," he announced.

Katara perked up at the mention of water. "That sounds lovely."

"And very unlikely to be a priority for the Fire Nation to set up as a base," Toph added with a smirk. "Good thinking, Twinkletoes. They won't expect that." She cracked her knuckles. "Hey, do we have anything to eat? I'm starving."

Sukka felt her tummy rumble as well. "Me too." She turned big, blue, pleading eyes to Katara. "What do we have, incredibly beautiful sister of mine, the bafflingly clever paragon of packing and cooking and knowing how to keep supplies maintained?"

"You two are just sad, you know that?" Katara rolled her eyes, a faint smile at her lips. "That blue bag right there should have lychee nuts and some peaches that are on the verge of being overripe. Aang, would you like a snack as well?"

"Yes please!" The airbender caught his moon-peach and bit into it with gusto, feeding Momo lychee nuts with his other hand. "Do you think we can stop soon for just a moment so you can take a look at Appa's nose? I think that firebender hurt him."

"Of course!" Katara peered down below them. "Hey Appa, wanna take us down for a quick break? You can have a drink and I'll fix up your poor nose." She rubbed his neck soothingly. "How about that lake right there?" Appa grumbled good-naturedly and began to idly spiral downwards.

After their short break to take care of Appa's poor singed nose, it only took two days of travel to take them to the Misty Palms Oasis. It was a rather sad sight.

Katara pouted, looking younger than her age for once. "This isn't exactly what I expected."

Aang's voice cracked as he slowly spun, looking at the desolate wasteland of a courtyard around a dry fountain. "How could they let it go like this?" He looked mildly devastated. Toph punched his shoulder.

"Come on, Twinkletoes. I'm thirsty. Appa is too." The bison gave a quiet rumble that she seemed to assume was agreement.

"Toph's right." Sukka stretched, trying to enjoy her recent freedom from the enforced stillness of a bison-flight trip. "We may as well ask around, see what's going on. I'd hate to find out there's a massive Fire Nation base nearby, or that Ba Sing Se has been invaded by giant koi or something."

Toph gave the air five feet to Sukka's right a withering glare.

"Give me the largest, fruitiest drink you have!" Sukka gave a painfully bright smile to the grumpy-looking bartender, who chuckled.

"Aye, if you got the coin, lass. You can't blink your pretty eyes in exchange for drinks in my bar."

Sukka gave an exaggerated pout. "I would never." She rapidly blinked her eyes and tilted her head at an angle so that she could look up through her lashes. Then she slammed down a moderately valuable silver coin onto the bar. "I need drinks for four, and a whole lot of water for my mount. Can you help me with that?"

As the bartender bustled away, a weedy looking man pushed his wide-brimmed hat up over his eyes to look at her. "Are you kids traveling alone?" His eyes wandered over their small group- Toph was taunting Katara, and Aang was flitting around the bar examining patrons.

"Who wants to know," she said tersely.

The man flushed and fiddled with his glasses. "Forgive my manners, young lady. I'm Professor Zei, the head of the anthropology department at Ba Sing Se university."

Aang skidded in front of the older male in a cloud of dust. "Really?" He grinned, leaning in uncomfortably close. "That's great! We're going to Ba Sing Se!" He looked sideways at his companions and amended, "Well, eventually we are."

"That is incredibly convenient." Professor Zei gave a silly smile. "You see, I couldn't help but notice your most excellent animal companion out there. Is that really a sky bison? I've only seen paintings of paintings of them before! He's marvelous. This is marvelous, actually. I thought I'd have to make a dozen trips out of the city to discover anything interesting, and here I am meeting a sky bison on my very first trip outside of the city."

"Yepp." Aang beamed up at the man, always ready to gush about Appa. "He's the best!"

"Indeed." Zei's hands fluttered at his sides. "Could I ask you for a ride to a location in the desert? My research has led me here, but I haven't found a way to go explore the desert safely. But your wonderful companion could make the trip in a matter of hours."

Sukka took her fruit juice and passed one to Toph. She took a sip at the males talked, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "How do we know you are who you say you are?" She gestured at the professor with her glass and valiantly concentrating on keeping an eye on the bar instead of staring lovingly into her mangoberry drink.

A blank stare was her answer. In a moment, Professor Zei flushed. "Ah, of course. I should have realized that a group of young people such as yourselves would be hesitant to go out into the desert with a stranger." He rustled around in his clothing and withdrew a small sheaf of papers. "Here you go, just be careful with them. That's my passport and identification."

Sukka hmmed, reading through the assorted paperwork rapidly and half-heartedly attempting to commit the formal style of calligraphy to memory. It was almost like reading a different dialect of the same language. It would be impossible to know for certain if the Professor was legitimate since she hadn't seen what an Earth Kingdom passport was meant to look like, but… "from what I can see, it's pretty convincing." She handed back the papers. "What's in it for us? We aren't exactly a carriage for hire. Appa's a friend, not a pack mule."

Aang gave her a starry-eyed look coupled with a besotted grin at that. She tried not to sigh. '_That kid is predictable_.' Sukka didn't have Katara's weakness for cute animals or Aang's special bond with Appa. Her concern was more pragmatic than anything- she wanted to have a good working relationship with the furry animal that routinely carried her hundreds of feet above the ground. But if it made Aang happy to think everyone loved Appa as much as he did, well, it didn't hurt.

"Well, I could make it much easier for you to enter Ba Sing Se," the professor offered. "I have a pass for the upper tier and could easily claim you as research assistants or pupils."

Sukka pursed her lips and considered the offer, holding up a hand to stop Aang from saying anything. They had been counting on playing the Avatar card to get in- if they didn't have to do that, they would probably be able to hide in the city longer. "We'll do it," she said firmly. "Consider us your escort for the next few days."

* * *

After they had restocked on as much liquid as they could find (Katara possessively hoarding two entire waterskins), the group set out into the vast expanse of tan desert. Aang was strangely wary after having walked in on a group of sandbenders trying to untie Appa's lead and drag him away. Even Toph, who was most used to Earth Kingdom weather, had beads of sweat sticking her bangs to her forehead. Irritably, she attempted to blow them off her face for a while before slumping over in defeat. She was clearly disinterested in what the others were discussing. Sukka couldn't blame her.

Katara and Aang had listened with wide eyes while the professor explained exactly why he was so interested in exploring the desert. Apparently a knowledge spirit named Wan Shi Tong had collected written records of almost everything important there was to know about the world in a massive library that straddled the borders between the spirit world and the physical world. Sukka would have been more interested if she hadn't been preoccupied with other thoughts. It did figure that an academic would consider a lost library as the discovery of his age. She was willing to bet he wouldn't be so shocked and excited to learn that Aang was the Avatar- clearly, nothing compared to books.

_'Of course, that doesn't explain why he in particular is the person out here. Does a library built by a knowledge spirit really fall under the branch of __**anthropology**__?_' Sukka's lips twitched for a moment before she fell back into feeling nauseous about what had happened to Kyoshi Island. She was sure her friends had to be fine- the Fire Nation wouldn't have buried Earth Kingdom dead. Almost everyone had survived the attack, and were probably safely within Ba Sing Se's legendary walls. She would see them again when they made it there.

"Hey, what's that?" Katara pointed to a thin tower poking out of the sand. Aang squinted his eyes. "I don't know, lets's go down and have a look." He playfully snapped the reins. Appa snorted at him but obligingly slipped downwards.

"Land! Sweet land!" Toph fell to her knees on the sand and almost immediately lost her beatific grin. "Hey, what gives?" She frowned and slowly shuffled through the sand. "This distorts my seismic sense. It feels like I'm standing in a massive bowl of pudding."

Sukka grimaced. "Great imagery. Now I want pudding."

Professor Zei and Katara examined his picture of the legendary library. "This can't be it," he announced with disappointment. "It looks nothing like the picture at all."

"Oh really?" Aang pointed at a slim fox spirit with a scroll clenched in its teeth. The apparition gave them a doggy grin before trotting over to the tower and walking right **up** its side. It dropped inside a slim window and out of sight.

"Well. That was pretty convincing." Professor Zei fidgeted. "How are we supposed to get inside?"

Toph snorted. "That's your problem." She crossed her arms. "We brought you here. That was the deal."

Her teeth worried and tugged at the flesh of her lower lip for a moment while Sukka tried to make a decision. "Actually," she began, "I think that Aang and I should go have a look inside. It's an enormous library- we have no clue what sort of information could be in there. There might be something helpful for our little Fire Nation problem."

"Hey!" Katara put her hands on her hips. "Who says you're the only ones who get to go? I want to see inside too."

"I sure don't," Toph added sweetly.

"Katara, hold on for a moment. Look at the window. Appa is never going to fit in, and Toph doesn't want to go in. You two should stay and keep an eye on each other. Frankly, I don't like leaving Appa out here. Even if it weren't for the fact that he could easily overheat and get very sick, we're in the middle of a desert, and a group of sandbenders already tried to kidnap him. This is important." She mussed her little sister's hair. "Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah," the younger girl grumbled. "Come on, Toph. Want a drink?"

"I'm not a baby, Katara." Toph crossed her arms obstinately. Then she grudgingly allowed, "Yeah, gimme some water."

"So… How are we going to get inside?" Professor Zei put a hand to his chin.

"Uh, guys?" Aang cheerfully held up a length of rope that had been securing some bags until very recently. Zei's pack thumped to the ground, and Appa gave a startled jump (a surprisingly impressive move when executed by a ten ton bison). "Sorry, boy. But won't this work? I can fly up there and tie it for you two to climb."

Sukka gave a long sigh. It was a good idea, but climbing up that rope was going to suck. "Best idea I've heard. Go for it, Aang."

The airbender had made quick work of getting the rope up there. Unfortunately, he had no skills with knot tying and Professor Zei fell to the ground after he'd only climbed about ten feet. "Ow, my back." She heard her little sister uncork her water almost instantly and ask the man to stand up so she could take a look. '_Katara really has a healer's instincts._' She wasn't concerned with her sister at the moment, however.

Sukka grabbed Aang's collar to curtail his fidgeting and exuberant apologies. "You've never been taught to make knots other than the ones you use on Appa's saddle, right? Let me show you something." In a matter of moments she had constructed a much sturdier knot. "This'll support a human's weight. Your knots don't have to be that strong because they wrap around things and have that extra support. When the knot itself has to support all the weight alone, you need to do this." She slowly demonstrated again. "Now you try it."

She didn't know if she should be surprised when Aang got it right on the first try. Then he chirped, "It's just like putting together a puzzle!" Sukka reached out reflexively to ruffle his hair like she did her baby sister when Katara did well- and settled for patting his shoulder when the gleam of sunshine on his bald little head reminded her there was no hair to ruffle. '_He looks like an egg, slowly burning in the sun_.' She stifled a giggle.

"Good job, Aang. I didn't know you thought analytically. That's a good trait."

He lapped up the praise- and Sukka idly noted that Katara was right, he responded very well to positive reinforcement- and leapt a dozen feet directly into the air to try the knot again. Professor Zei grimaced, still rubbing his lower back with one hand, but said nothing. He did, however, let her try first this time.

'_That's probably fair. It's my knot_.' Sukka scaled the rope, using the tower as a brace to rest her feet against. It was easier than she'd expected. When she reached the top and the Professor began to climb with huffs and puffs she could hear all the way from the top, Sukka took the time to flex her arms and admire the new muscle tone. '_That definitely wasn't there at the South Pole. I guess that constantly using heavy metal fans is good for something.'_

When the Professor reached the top and awkwardly climbed in the same window she had, Sukka motioned for him to flip the rope inside and climb down first. Her perch on a window was much more secure than his awkward balance- he was a full grown man, and didn't have her level of athleticism or fitness. He sighed, clearly put out at not having a break, but gamely descended into the darkness below. In not too long, she heard his voice echo up, "I'm done! Hurry, I want to look around. Did you think to bring a light? I didn't think to bring a light. How am I going to read without a light?" As he talked, it became clear that he was talking to himself more than anyone else.

Aang snickered good naturedly at the silly adult. "See you below!" With that, he popped open his glider and easily slid down the thin space. Anyone else trying that would likely have smacked right into one of the walls they couldn't see. Aang really was an excellent airbender- he had to be sensing the air currents and following their curves to safely travel in the dark. Sukka reached for the rope, secured her grip as best as possible and then slid down, using ends of the sash tied along her waist as a protective layer between the rope and her palms to prevent rope burn and scraping on her flesh. Her feet touched a stone floor that she could feel was cool even through her shoes, a stark contrast to the boiling sand above.

"Where is everyone?" When she knew where the other two were, Sukka took a few steps away. "Alright, let there be light!" With that, she cupped her palms together and willed a strong flame, twice the size of that of a candle to come into being. The Professor gave a startled oath and backed away further, but Aang clapped his hands.

"Wow Sukka, I didn't know you could do that!"

"I don't know how long I can," she admitted honestly. "This is taking a lot of control. Hopefully we can find and light a torch around here somewhere. This isn't a long term solution." Zei gave a sound of comprehension and dug around in his hip pouch for a midsized torch.

"I have this, I just didn't think to bring flint," he admitted sheepishly.

Aang danced on his toes. "That works out perfectly! It's like we were meant to come help you."

That thought unsettled Sukka more than it should have. Aang was exactly the type of person that a lot of spirits might have interest in- he very well could be right. '_That might mean there really is information here that we need, or that we should meet the librarian himself.'_

As if he had been called by her thoughts, the sound of claws scraping against the stone floor reached her ears. "Who is there?" The voice itself was strange- masculine, but otherworldly and smooth somehow. The Professor practically danced with excitement. "I'm Professor Zei, head of Anthropology at the University of Ba Sing Se. I must say, I am so excited to be here and to meet you. This library has been my life's dream! "

The figure that emerged into their small light gave a low sound of disapproval. "Humans are not allowed in my library. All you ever want is to know how to better wage your wars and kill your enemies."

Aang's jaw dropped and he fluttered his hands in denial and discomfort. "We would never! I'm Aang, the Avatar. I don't want to kill anybody, promise. Monks don't believe in that."

Sukka felt the spirit's eyes flit to her, and she gave a diplomatic bow. "Great spirit, we promise not to misuse anything we find in your library. I'm Sukka, first daughter of Chief Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribe. Aang and I agreed to escort the Professor here because it was unsafe for him to traverse the desert. We come with no intention of finding martial knowledge, but I would be profoundly grateful if you were to allow us to look around the accumulation of knowledge here."

The enormous white owl made a sound that didn't translate to anything human. "Very well. I am Wan Shit Tong, he who knows one thousand things. I will allow you to explore my library if you will not the use the knowledge you find here to make war, and if you each donate one unique piece of knowledge."

"Done!" Professor Zei fished around in the knapsack that hung over his shoulder this time and withdrew a short book. "This is a book I wrote- a first edition!"

Nervously, Sukka withdrew one of her two pilfered firebending scrolls. She knew the movements, so they weren't doing her any good anyway. "A scroll on firebending." She held it out to Wan Shi Tong.

Everyone turned to look at Aang, who fidgeted. "Uh…" He pawed through his pockets and triumphantly withdrew a piece of string. "Oh! Do you know how the Air Nomads made the knots that secure saddles on Air Bison without creating stress that would be uncomfortable for the bison?" His fingers whipped through the movements. "These are really cool, because if they get too tight a bison can undo it by nipping at this bit right here!" A quick movement of his fingers, and the whole elaborate mess unfolded.

Wan Shi Tong accepted all three offerings, though he glared at Aang a little. Without another word, he slipped back into the darkness. Professor Zei squealed a little. "There's so much to read here! Hundreds of years of lost knowledge!"

Aang's smile slipped and he slumped over a little. "Yeah. Lost like everything about the Air Nomads. I'm the only one who knows anything about them, and the answers I don't have are lost to the world forever." By this point Zei had lit another torch off Sukka's and hurried down another aisle. Feeling sympathetic, Sukka put an arm around Aang's shoulder.

"We're in exactly the place we need to be to answer any questions you might have, aren't we?" She squeezed him. "I wouldn't have minded learning more about the Fire Nation, but Wan Shi Tong doesn't seem like a guy to cross. She repressed a shudder. She had stolen from Zuko without a flinch because she was the only one at stake and he couldn't exactly imprison her twice. But crossing a spirit was something else entirely. Suki had been deadly serious about impressing just how unflinching spirits could be in their relations with humans, a species they disliked and distrusted as a rule. Though unfriendly by human standards, Wan Shi Tong was being surprisingly reasonable by not lumping all humans together and allowing them entrance because they promised not to misuse his knowledge. If they double-crossed a spirit, it would not end well for any of them.

Besides… she still thought there was something useful here. If there really had been otherworldly intervention that resulted in their trip here, whatever spirits were involved wouldn't have expected them to double-cross a great spirit. The Air Nomads were just as good a lead as anything else.

'_We're here for a reason_,' she reminded herself when they found the section of knowledge devoted to the Air Nomads. '_Knowledge is power, even if it's not going to directly help us fight the Fire Nation_.' It was far too large to hope to read in its entirety. She sighed. "How about you look up any individual topics that occur to you, and I'll look at the most recent entries?" Sukka registered his nod, and then strode over to the stacks at the far right. It seemed like a logical place to start, and less dusty than the rest.

The first text she selected was dry- it seemed to be an accounting of families with strong tendencies to manifest air bending. That brought up the interesting point that non-bending relatives of airbenders appeared to live totally apart from the Air Nomads. Water tribe sensibilities about remaining close to family slightly offended, Sukka slid the book back onto the shelf as she heard a scandalized gasp.

"What?" She twisted her torso to look at Aang, who was clearly bright red even in the shadowy light. He gulped and began a long, run-on sentence at a speed she could barely understand.

"I was thinking about how festivals in the earth kingdom go, except for the one that we tried to go to and got arrested and I realized I'd never gone to an Air Nomad festival and so I looked it up and I may have just found out why you have to be sixteen to go to the spring festivals with the nuns." His voice dropped to a whisper. "There's **_pictures_**."

She was surprised into laughter. Aang frowned indignantly. "Hey, it's not funny! That looks really uncomfortable! Why would they do that?"

"I'm not having this conversation with you," Sukka informed him. Then, after a moment's thought, "Maybe when you're a little older," she amended. Her eyes narrowed. "Don't get any ideas about independent study, either."

'_I do quite enough babysitting as is, thank you very much_.' Still, she stored away the horrified look on his face for future blackmail material. In a couple years, this incident would be pure gold.


	7. Chapter 7

Okay, I have a burning question. According to my stats, fifteen people have skipped chapter four and went on to chapter five. Is FFN doing something weird? Did I post them too quickly together? So, uh, if something made no freaking sense, that might be it. FFN may have hidden chapter four from you. I can't think of any other explanation for that. And nah, I'm not getting confused about the distinction between 'views' and 'visitors', although that would be an excellent hypothesis. It's definitely visitors. 

* * *

Katara idly kicked at the hot sand beneath her soft boots, sending a spray of tiny rocks into the air. It was just too hot and dry for her comfort- she was a girl from the south pole, and a waterbender to boot. It took a surprising amount of effort to refrain from pouring water from her hip pouch onto her head to cool off- the water would be lost, and who knows how thirsty the others would be when they got back up?

They'd been gone for what felt like hours, and she was bored out of her skull. A girl could only try to build a sandcastle with uncooperative rocks so many times.

Toph wasn't doing much better, so far as waiting patiently went. "You know, sand is different to see with". Katara slanted her eyes over to observe the smaller girl where she sat half-buried in sand with her legs stretched out in front of her. "It's really strange and distorted. It's worse than when I first learned to see with regular earth."

"This isn't an ideal location for either of us, then." Appa moaned sadly. "You either, huh buddy? Poor Appa. Would you like a drink?" She moved to get him some water.

"Hey, Katara. I'm feeling something really weird." Toph pushed a hand against the ground to steady herself as she stood up. "It doesn't feel like anything I've ever seen before."

The tanned girl held a hand up to her forehead to squint in the general direction Toph was indication. "I see a cloud of sand." She frowned. "Is it… is it getting closer? It doesn't look like what I thought a sandstorm would be like." The cloud of sand was a pillar maybe fifteen feet tall and about as wide that caught the sunshine with glittering shards of tiny mica and glass.

"Remember those sandbenders who were looking way too interested in Appa earlier?" Toph's lips pressed into a scowl. "I think that's what we're seeing, about a minute away from us. I haven't seen a lot of sand, but I've seen enough to be pretty sure that it wouldn't behave like that without human intervention. She dug her toes into the sand. "I'm not sure how effective my bending is going to be on sand."

"Good thing I have plenty of water, then." Katara placidly uncorked both of the bottles at her hip and tucked the lids away, but didn't draw out any water. "They might not be here for a fight," she said philosophically.

Toph gave an ugly snort. "Yeah, Sugar Queen. They just waited until we were far away from civilization to come chat. They probably assume that a bunch of kids couldn't do anything." She frowned. "Which raises the point that if they really are here to take Appa, they were planning on leaving four kids to die in the desert."

"What a bunch of creeps." Katara could easily see the sandbenders now- two of them, on a strange craft she could only really describe as a boat for land. Their faces were mostly covered by loops of tan fabric, but one of them did appear to be focusing on Appa. She held her hands up to her face and hollered. "Hey! What are you doing here?"

They didn't spare her a look. The strange craft made a sudden stop that sent a spray of rocks into Katara's face. She sputtered and covered her face with her sleeve. In the instant she looked away, one of the men leapt off the raft and snatched Appa's reins off the ground.

"Oh, no you don't!" Toph stomped the ground, and a brick of sand rose up and hurtled towards the intruder. It would have been more effective if it hadn't dissolved into a useless spray as soon as it left contact with the ground. "Katara!" Her voice was unusually close to panic.

The older girl dropped into a more aggressive stance and flew through the motions for a water whip. Her first strike was comparatively gentle- it was intended only to severely bruise, not sever the arm that she struck as a warning. "Drop that! You can't have Appa." The bison bellowed and blew a gust of air through his nostrils that caused the man tugging at his reins to stumble back and nearly fall over. Toph hardened the sand at his feet in an instant, creeping it up around his legs to secure him in place. He was a sandbender, meaning he could almost certainly free himself given some time, but anything to restrict his movement would help.

"Sugar Queen, I don't think they're here to make friends." The other bender jumped off the wooden structure they'd used for travel to assist his friend, and Toph immediately began harrying him. Her attacks were severely weakened and her aim was thrown off, but she was still arguably the world's best earthbender. Even at a severe disadvantage she could at least manage to be an impediment.

Katara sectioned off some of her water and sent it speeding at the trapped bender. He attempted to sway out of its path, but she corrected for the dodge and froze first his left, then his right hand in heavy blocks of ice. She ignored his startled cries- she didn't have time to feel bad for abruptly introducing a desert-dwelling people to ice. The second man made an attempt to free his companion, and the distraction cost him. Katara incased a foot in her dwindling supply of ice. Almost immediately, Toph whumped him hard in the stomach with a barrage of sand. She'd compensated for the lack of precise control by moving an enormous amount of material. Most of it flew harmlessly past, but the edge of her barrage clipped the first man in the face and he stopped yelling in his foreign language to spit out sand.

The second man slowly keeled over, breathless. Katara put her hands to her hips. "You two done trying to steal from little girls?" The second man raised a hand in a gesture she didn't recognize. "Well?"

"Yes." He snapped bitterly in a thick accent. "Would you release him so we can leave?"

"Oh, no." Toph snapped. "You don't get to attack a couple of kids, try to steal our friend, and then act like you're being inconvenienced by us. It would serve you right if Katara left you like that. I'm sure it'll thaw on its own in a few hours." Her tone was dangerously saccharine.

"It's no problem, Toph." Her voice was deceptively pleasant as Katara turned the ice around their attackers to water and drew it back to herself. She had left it long enough that she knew their limbs would be weak and numb. The first man might even suffer frostbite on his fingers. Losing fingers would be an appropriate punishment for attempted thievery. "They're no danger to us. Although really, if we had the time and ability to leave, I'd say that we should hand them in to the authorities. Cowards who would steal from children and then leave them to die in the desert really shouldn't be left to roam free. You're lucky we have better things to do."

With a sound of disgust, Toph dissolved the sand securing the first man and sneered. "Better run along home now."

The adults hurriedly limped away, and the two girls gradually relaxed from the post-fight high. Katara did her best to drop the recently acquired particles of sand from her water before she filtered it back into her flasks and corked them. "A surprising amount of my water dissolved." It was true- the first flask was filled again, but her second only held about three-quarters of the fluid it had before.

"Better avoid fights or opening the flasks, then." Toph gave a lazy stretch. "As disappointed as Twinkletoes was by the Oasis, their water was pretty nice and clean. Wasting it would be dumb."

"I wonder if it could be restored," Katara mused. "That'd make Aang happy. Clearly, the water is still below ground. Maybe it just moved enough that it doesn't bubble up in that courtyard anymore."

"Well," Toph drawled, "I bet a waterbending master and the world's best earthbender could fix it. Plus, making sandstone to repair the fallen walls in that courtyard would be good practice." She grimaced, thinking of her poor performance in their fight. "In fact…" Katara couldn't see anything happening, but she knew her friend well enough to assume that Toph was experimenting with the sand. She shook her head with a smile. While the two girls went back to waiting, they each drifted off into ideas.

* * *

"Are you sure you do not want to go to Ba Sing Se, nephew? It would be quite an adventure." Iroh trudged along, half-heartedly cajoling his traveling companion to change his mind before they left this town. He knew Zuko wouldn't. Once the boy made up his mind, he didn't change it for anything.

'_That's partly my fault_,' he sourly reminded himself. '_Never give up without a fight indeed. I should have given him a dagger with the words 'occasionally listen to good advice from wise old people', or 'stop and smell the roses every once in a while' written on it. How did I ever think this boy needed encouragement to keep trying_?'

"No, Uncle! There's no point in going there. The Avatar isn't my concern anymore. Azula was right. I should just give up. Dad doesn't want me home. At least she cares enough to provide me an honorable out."

_'The most honorable route I can take, anyways._' He grimaced. '_The only other options are pursuing the Avatar after I've been forbidden which would be disobeying the Fire Lord; self-imposed exile, or going home a failure and hoping Father won't see fit to punish me further.'_

That last thought right there was so ridiculous he almost laughed.

Iroh sighed. Traveling on foot wasn't his idea of fun. He was a little old for this, truth be told. Nor did he share Zuko's faith in Azula. It was unfair of him to favor one child over the other, but Azula's cold nature and sociopathic tendencies… Well, they gave him little faith in her motivations. It was both a shame and a blessing that Zuko just couldn't see that she was manipulating him. His failure to see her selfish motivations was the product of his own kind nature and inability to understand why others would take advantage of him. The shame was that he was only going to be hurt by family once more. But for Zuko, he would endure the discomfort and inevitable disappointment of going to stay with the new governor of Omashu. His nephew would see soon enough that he would not find happiness there.

Neither male was paying enough attention to notice the group of gaunt men who spotted them and began whispering. They were both quite capable fighters, and military minded, but neither of them had been far from a full crew in the last three years. The crew's strict orders to use lethal force on anyone who threatened the prince and their sheer presence had been enough deterrent for opportunistic entrepreneurs who might think to ransom Fire Nation royalty. Granted, Ozai would never pay a king's ransom for either of them, but it would be an unforgivable disgrace to be used as a tool.

They hadn't even thought to change out of their fine Fire Nation silk clothing or take down their imperial topknots that marked them as aristocracy to any moderately informed observer.

The fortune hunters made their move only about an hour outside of town. It would have been wiser to wait for better cover, but they were doubtlessly eager to make their move and anticipating dragging their captive back to town. They actually did have the element of surprise on their side when they attacked, aiming for the old man first in hopes of neutralizing him quickly and coordinating their attacks.

"Uncle!" Zuko aimed a fiery blast at the earth that had been hurled at Uncle Iroh's head, barely managing to deflect it. The older man's expression only briefly flickered through confusion before his features hardened and his situational awareness sharpened to the levels that only a truly experienced warrior ever achieved. One.. two.. three assailants, with only one bender among them. They had managed to get the high ground, surrounding the two firebenders at a respectable distance. Of course, a respectable distance was nothing to an Imperial Firebender.

'_They aimed for me first. Revenge for lost family at Ba Sing Se or at sea, perhaps?'_

An aghast tone mumbled slightly too loudly, "Did he just say Uncle? She didn't say anything about the Dragon of the West."

Then, "Shit!".

Iroh's expression was hard. If they weren't here for him, they had come here for Zuko. He was capable of a great deal of kindness. He had made enormous sacrifices for the sake of the world when duty called, and regretted none of the hardships he endured to protect his nephew. But he would not allow anyone who threatened Zuko to live.

And so he didn't.

After the cinders had floated away on the breeze with the smell of burning flesh and Zuko had managed to choke away nausea, they spoke again.

"They were here for me."

"Yes."

"Azula was the one who told us to come this way, where we just so happened to run into assailants who were aiming for me."

"Yes."

Zuko closed his eyes, looking pained. "Let's go to Ba Sing Se, Uncle. I don't think I like following Azula's plan anymore."

It was unfortunate that they jumped to the completely inaccurate assumption that Azula had made a more direct move towards ensuring she got her inheritance.

* * *

"It seems strange that the Air Nomads could have fallen in **one day** to the Fire Nation," Sukka mused. Everything she had read indicated that air was the element best suited for fighting fire, and the authors of some of the primary sources had seemed just as confused as she felt, when their words weren't tinged with horror. Even a relatively new airbender could deflect flames and arrows. "If the temples were full of masters… it doesn't make sense. What was so different about that particular day?"

Aang shrugged, not as interested in the puzzle as she was. "Monks don't kill," he pointed out. "The Fire Nation clearly didn't have problems with that." His tone was bitter, but Sukka wasn't willing to let it drop.

"If they were defending a temple full of children, even a bunny-kitten would be willing to use fatal force. Besides, it sounds like they could have easily deflected attacks and restrained any attackers or escaped once . No offense, but if you're representative of what a relatively inexperienced airbending master can do, but there shouldn't have been problems." Sukka put down the scroll she had been perusing in frustration. "No, something else is going on here. And the Fire Nation knew about it. They attacked all the temples on the same day. Why? That would have taken an immense amount of coordination, and even an airbender couldn't travel from one temple to warn the others within a day. Why put forth the effort unless there was some specific reason that day was special?"

"I don't know, Sukka," Aang said in an annoyed tone. His nose was still buried in descriptions of airbender life when traveling. He'd only really known what it was like to live in one air temple and visited one other. He didn't really know about the other traditions.

"Waterbenders lose their power on moonless nights and fight much better under a full moon," she pointed out, undaunted by his distraction. "Is there something like that for airbenders, something that could affect their powers?"

Aang made an uncharacteristic frown. "I've never heard of or experienced anything like that, and I was made an airbending master." He pointed at the blue arrow on his head. "I think that'd come up pretty early in training."

The teenager made a sour face. "Maybe it wasn't that the airbenders were weakened that day," she slowly reasoned. "Maybe the firebenders were strong that day?" She made a grab for a scroll she had already read, one written recently after the massacre. "It was…" She frowned. The date didn't have any special significance to her. "Do you think it's an astrological thing, like the moon and waterbenders?" The question was uncertain. "Don't they worship the sun?"

She left Aang looking through records of his people's history, wondering where astrological information would be. "Excuse me, Wan Shi Tong?"

The knowledge spirit melted out of the darkness as if he'd been watching them the whole time. "Yes, little human?"

She bowed briefly to show respect. "Aang is the last airbender- he survived the massacre because he was frozen in ice with his sky bison. He is trying to figure out what happened. I had the theory that there was something special about the day in particular that the Fire Nation chose to attack the temples, and I theorized that it was astrologically significant. Could you show me where that information would be?"

"No need, little one. I know the answer you seek. Firebenders do draw strength from the sun. On that day, a fiery comet gave them extra strength. From what I understand, even a mediocre firebender on that day is a thing to behold." His tone turned wistful.

"Is? So this is an event that occurs every time a fiery comet comes by?" Then she rolled her eyes at herself. "Oh, of course. It must be predictable, or else they wouldn't have known it was coming. The sheer logistics of doing that is staggering."

"Indeed." The owl gave her an indecipherable look. "You are a bender of fire, are you not? I hope you do not intend to misuse this knowledge." His tone held an edge.

"No, sir." She shook her head. "I'm barely a bender anyways. No training and little talent. I'll stick with my fans, I think. I trained with the Kyoshi warriors."

"Did you now? I have little information on that particular tradition. They don't write much down."

Sukka glanced up at the spirit. "Something happened- the main village was burned to the ground, and Kyoshi's temple was lost," she shared. "We think that the Fire Nation military found out they harbored Aang and made an example of them."

"So the fighting tradition of Kyoshi is all but lost?" His tone was skeptical.

She had to confess- "I don't know. There were only a few bodies, so I think that there were plenty of survivors, but I don't know where they are." She gave the knowledge spirit a contemplative look- so far, he had been incredibly helpful. "If you would like, I would ask Suki to help me make a history scroll for you," she offered, feeling generous. "If you are willing to let us return, that is. I think that if you don't, Professor Zei might just cry and beg you to let him stay." Her tone turned wry. She wasn't entirely joking.

Giant wings fluttered uncertainly. Wan Shi Tong clicked his beak a few times and fixed a black eye on her. "Perhaps." He gave a little shake. "Yes. If you will bring me such a scroll, you and your companions may return. My prior condition still stands, however. No one may damage my collection or come here with the aim of gaining some advantage over other humans. Knowledge should be prized for its own sake."

She grinned. "I think that your generosity will make Ba Sing Se University the jewel of the human world. I will tell the Professor that you are amenable to his making return trips once he is more prepared. May he bring a research assistant, at least outside?"

"He may bring two to four of these assistants, and they must all bring a donation. I will allow them to make copies and take those out of the library. No one else is to enter the library." His feathers fluttered irritably. "I will consider moving the building back into the human realm to make it more accessible. But if it is threatened by more of you barbarians, I will leave this place entirely."

Sukka carefully maintained a blank expression. It wouldn't do to laugh at a powerful spirit. "I will do my best to keep my fellow barbarians away," she said gravely instead.

"See that you do!" Wan Shi Tong snapped. "Now, I would like all of you out. Out!"

'_That was a sudden turnaround. Not a very social guy, is he?'_

"Alright, let me find my companions."

Professor Zei had to be bodily dragged away from the pile of scrolls he had accumulated. Then she had to wait for him to write down the names so that he could locate them later before he put them back- best not to annoy the librarian.

"Aang." She put a hand on his shoulder. "I think it's time to go. Our aim was to get Professor Zei to get us into Ba Sing Se, and we're ready to go. Wan Shi Tong said that we could return." She gave him a weak smile. "So we can think of more things to research and come back later, after you've mastered the elements and made more progress on that whole 'restoring the balance of the world' thing. She made a face at the last bit.

The airbender beamed up at her. "I bet the Earth King will know what we should do!"

Sukka smiled. "Yeah, it'll be nice to have guidance from an elder again. I think we've been doing alright, but we're a little young to be figuring out how to save the world."

Sniffing sadly, the Professor was the first one to climb the rope back up to the top of the tower. Instead of balancing at the top and waiting, however, he flipped the rope to the outside and climbed down right away. Aang easily leapt up to the top and tossed the rope back down to Sukka, Momo chattering on his shoulder. As she climbed back up, arms shaking with the effort, she could hear Katara brightly talking with the Professor. She was probably being inundated with gushing about books. Her sister's words gradually became audible- "We were thinking about how we could fix up the Oasis! It would become a tourist attraction again and a really good base of operations for you when you return with research assistants! Toph figured out how to compress sand into stone, and she thinks that she can fix up the courtyard in a matter of minutes. If someone will work with me, I bet I can increase water flow up to the surface so that the fountain will work again! Wouldn't that be great?"

"Should we really be going back?" Toph cut in, sounding uncertain. "Remember what happened to your island friends?"

Sukka shook her head before she remembered Toph wouldn't see the gesture. "I think it's fine. Whoever did that came and left by sea. If the Fire Nation armies had access to this area, we'd have bitter problems. They won't redirect a regiment to a month-long walk just to burn down this tiny town to make a point. It's one thing to take a few days to make a cruel point, but something else to waste their resources to do it. Really, I'm only worried about those two who followed us to Chin village. Bounty hunters, probably."

The Professor looked a bit queasy at that, but said nothing.

Katara was so excited about her idea that they really did go back to the Oasis and find a room to stay in overnight while they tried to figure out who they needed to talk to for permission to experiment with improving the place. It was just as well- the Professor took the opportunity to make long-term reservations, now that he knew he would be returning with a larger operation.

While Katara was making friendly, Toph got fed up with waiting and repaired the fountain, created a series of benches and raised platforms for gardens, and restored the courtyard walls. The Oasis looked a thousand times better before Katara pranced back in, followed by the long-suffering bartender who had apparently set his daughter to watching the customers inside. Katara ended up recruiting Toph to close up a busted water pathway that was preventing the appropriate amount of water pressure buildup to funnel water through the pipes for the fountain. With careful concentration and some trial-and-error, she pulled water through the rusted, neglected pipes to clear them out and lifted the icky buildup out onto the ground. After only an hour of corrected pressure, the bottom of the fountain was beginning to fill with water and curious patrons had come to point and stare at the abrupt change. It looked so much better that it could have been a different place entirely, despite still being barren dirt instead of the lush gardens Aang remembered.

"Well, anything else you need from me, while we're rescuing bunny-kittens from trees?" Despite her sour tone, Toph actually seemed interested in practicing her newly perfected skill. She might have regretted making the offer later- she spent the next few hours performing minor repairs and building up columns and other features to improve building faces.

Aang was delighted by the changes, flitting about and gabbing to anyone who would stay still about the purple flowers that had grown so well there in the past. The scruffy-looking barkeeper was paying a surprising amount of attention, apparently seeing an enormous opportunity for his business to improve. As it happened, he owned the attached inn and three homes in the area. Sukka thought that if she were him, she would transform the other buildings into either more rooms for renting out or a tourist attraction of some sort- a nice teahouse, or perhaps a theatre. She mentioned this and got a quick smile in return.

"I'd need staff," he pointed out. "And supplies that just aren't here. I don't suppose I could have you carry messages to Ba Sing Se and find me employees and supplies to get started?"

Startled that she'd been taken so seriously, Sukka took a moment to reply. While the kids played in the newly filled (and cold!) fountain, she went inside to talk logistics with the bartender, whose name happened to be Haru. He seemed to placidly regard her as a fellow adult. It was a strange situation, but she liked it. He was surprisingly well-off for a small business owner in such a deserted town, although that wealth made more sense when she remembered that he seemed to have control over the water supply. Their decision to restore the fountain had removed his monopoly on water. A lesser man might have refused to let Katara fix it or been angry about it, but Haru seemed to see opportunity instead.

"We'd all be better off if this place wasn't so damn deserted," he remarked dryly. "Your skinny friend is right- this place has a long history as a popular tourist destination. If it's fixed up, the rich fools will flock out here. That empty block there used to be a spa and bathhouse. The underground water structure is still the same. Those buildings could be rebuilt in a matter of days if you get a couple of domestic earthbenders out here, and it could be back in business. I like your idea of a teahouse- that'd go well with a bathhouse."

"And a theatre?" she asked. "Some sort of nightlife thing, to appeal to more of an audience and provide entertainment. People need more to do than eat and bathe, and a spa would have much more clientele if there was a reason to get dressed up. Maybe a traditional dance theatre, or vocal performers, or actual acting." She shrugged, feeling a bit embarrassed at how enthusiastic she had gotten over the idea. The Southern Water tribe hadn't had anything like that, and she had really liked the traditional dances she had seen in Kyoshi Island. There was something very fun about planning a big attraction like this.

"That's an idea," Haru slowly began, one hand stroking at the stubble on his cheek.

Professor Zei cut in at that point. "If I may suggest something? Wan Shi Tong has graciously allowed myself to return with a small group of research assistants. Ba Sing Se University is notoriously.., unfriendly," he said delicately, "to certain areas of research. If we were to establish a small research institute here you would have a constant influx of academics willing to leave town for access to information and a safe place to conduct research. I can think of several colleagues off-hand who would jump at the opportunity." He adjusted his hat. "There's nothing quite like having a population who isn't producing their own food to help a business that caters to the body's unfortunate need for sustenance." Then Aang called for him to watch juggling, and the professor wandered away.

Haru gave a vaguely feral grin. "Girlie, how would you like to be my business partner? I know the woman whose family owned this place back in the day. With her cooperation and the building plans she probably has somewhere, we could change this town real fast. I can't leave here, but if I can trust you to make contact with a few people in the big city, we could do a lot."

Sukka shook his hand, feeling pleased and adult. "You know, there used to be a dance troupe on Kyoshi Island," she pointed out. "I know them. I might be able to send them this way. So. What do we need first? You have the raw capital to commission the building we'll need and hire a basic staff, I know. How often do you get supplies out here? I assume, for instance, that you don't have the furniture to staff a fancy teahouse behind the bar, or all the tea leaves and china. I definitely won't be able to carry all that out here."

He shook his head. "Firs' things first. The people here are subsistence farmers, and I don't think I know anyone with a particular good education. Do you think your university friend could hire someone to start a village school? I ain't going to set up a fancy research institute that our kids are barred from through lack of opportunity. We could really make a difference here." He thumped a fist on the table.

"I'll ask him," Sukka said, feeling a bit surprised. She had liked the idea of improving the town, but it hadn't even occurred to her that they could make a direct impact on the people who already lived there like that. Maybe this was how she could help Aang restore balance to the world- starting by helping out the everyday people who needed help instead of worrying about crazy politics.

The next morning, everyone clambered onto a well-groomed Appa. Sukka was carefully clutching an enormous purse and the lists of chores to accomplish. The papers were quickly tucked away in her knapsack and the group cheerily waved goodbye to the bemused townsfolk who came to see them off. Despite having been up pretty late talking business with Haru, Sukka was feeling really alert and happy. It would be a relief to be safely inside of Ba Sing Se's walls, away from angry firebenders who might follow them.

Her sunny mood was a strong contrast to the shortest member of the group. Toph was a little crabby- her first attempts to teach Aang hadn't gone particularly well. She had expected him to have a hard time bending sand as it wasn't pure earthbending and it had taken her hours of experimentation to get a tentative hold on how to do it so that it would hold. Despite all expectations, Aang had actually taken to sandbending pretty well. Toph had grudgingly admitted it was a decent starting place for her lessons, but had clearly been a little resentful of the ease with which he'd adapted to something that she had found so difficult. When she had given him real rock to experiment with, drawn up from far below the ground level, Aang had been completely unable to move it at all. She was completely bemused at the contradiction and seemed to think she could make him learn the 'easy' part of earthbending through sheer force of will.

It wasn't working, but Sukka admired her determination. Katara fluttered between the two like a little butterflybird, attempting to soothe hurt feelings and convince them they were doing well. The reassurances made Toph feel that Katara was babying her, and Aang seemed to take them as permission to not work hard at things he found difficult. As a result, Toph wasn't talking to either of them. Well. Technically she wasn't talking to anyone at all, but her selectively hostile attitude led Sukka to hypothesize that Toph wasn't ignoring her or the Professor.

"What did you mean when you said Ba Sing Se University was unfriendly to certain subjects?" Sukka didn't really care, but she was tired of the quiet.

Zei's uncomfortable reaction made her wonder if her question had actually managed to poke at an interesting subject, however. She lifted an eyebrow at him."Well, Ba Sing Se in general has something of a culture of enforced compliance to certain standards," he began uncomfortably. "Ba Sing Se is unofficially run by the Dai Li, a group of elite earthbenders charged with overseeing the spiritual situation in the city, as well as preserving our cultural heritage. In reality, they serve as a sort of secret police. In Ba Sing Se, there is no mention of the war going on outside the walls. The authorities don't want people to panic, but refugees come in every day. So people who make trouble just get taken away." He shifted in his seat. "The Dai Li control almost every aspect of public life- the curfews, where people may go and do, and what we may study. It is considered dangerously unpatriotic to display interest in certain topics, and several of my peers have been forced to shut down research into disapproved areas. For instance, they do not approve of learning about the Fire Nation in specific or other nations in general, and innovation is strictly discouraged. Ba Sing Se has found a status quo, and it is quite reluctant to damage it."

That statement was met with silence. "It sounds terrible," Sukka said bluntly, after a long moment when no one seemed to know what to say.

Toph huffed. "When I was there, some really irritating woman was assigned to my family. She followed us everywhere and cited rules at us all the time."

The professor nodded in comprehension. "That was probably a Joo Dee. There are no women in the Dai Li, much like there are none in the Earth Kingdom armies" –Toph sniffed derisively-" but they are associated with a group of women who are all called Joo Dee. They give tours and report on inappropriate behavior they see. They are another way to enforce the mandates of the Earth King- no one would dare misbehave when they know they are being watched. In Ba Sing Se, you are always watched."

Aang gave a small frown. "Are the people happy like that?"

"If they aren't, they aren't going to say anything about it," Professor Zei said shortly as if that was that.

"Is the Earth King going to help us?" Katara cut in.

"The Earth King should help his own people," Aang pouted. "I bet that if we explained things, he'd look into it. We should ask him about how the war is going. If Ba Sing Se has managed to withstand almost a hundred years of war, they must be doing something right."

"We could see if they know anything about that comet that they used a hundred years ago, too," Sukka added. "I'd hate to be surprised by that."

* * *

The circus was dirty, colorful, and loud. There were acrobats, exotic animals, strong men in tight clothes, and beautiful girls who juggled fire. In short, Azula found it utterly contemptible and as dull as the grand circus ever was. She had never enjoyed it, even as a small girl. The flinching ringmaster had led her to a dressing room with a door decorated in pink paper hearts.

Her keen intuition told her it was the right door even before it swung open.

"Oh, Azula!" Ignoring all rules of courtly propriety and common sense about making sudden movements toward homicidal lunatics, a teary-eyed Ty Lee leapt at the crown princess and hugged her. Azula stiffened in discomfort and awkwardly patted her childhood friend's back after taking a brief moment to get over the shock. Ty Lee had never had a proper understanding of court decorum, but having access to her unique skills was worth the disorientation. Usually. Even if she could replace Ty Lee, Azula wasn't certain that she would. The girl had a certain charm about her.

"It's good to see you too, Ty Lee." In a way it was. Her delay to deal with her dear brother had meant that the circus had switched locations while she was breaking Zuko's heart. It would have been much more convenient if she had managed to meet with Ty Lee two weeks ago before the circus left the mainland.

The girl in pink drew back, confused. "Do you mean you haven't heard?"

Azula's eyes narrowed. "Heard what?"

"That.. that... Oh, it's just too terrible to say." She broke out into fresh sniffles and wiped at her eyes with the back of a hand. "I have the letter here somewhere." She patted down her top and withdrew a folded piece of paper from within her high neckline. "Oh, it's just so _awful_, Azula. Those earthbending savages." She fidgeted with her braid and rose up and down on her toes while Azula read the short missive. And then she read it again, focusing on the pertinent part.

"Rocks fell and Mai died," she said blankly. She was having trouble internalizing the information.

"Rocks!" Ty Lee wailed. "Some horrible rock trap in that city. What kind of surrender is it when you leave rock traps lying around? Poor Mai! Squished flat like a hotcake!" she was practically howling at this point, fists raised and trembling. Her fellow circus performers were giving them a wide berth.

"Indeed," Azula responded tightly, already considering the implications. It was a shame, of course. Of all the expendable morons in that hellhole, Mai had been the person to get in the way of a rock trap.

'_Can Ty Lee and I do this unaccompanied?_' She frowned, thoughtfully. It wasn't an optimal situation. Azula had cultivated Ty Lee from a very young age to serve her aims, but she wasn't the optimal tool for every situation. Still, if she'd had to choose between the two, she would have chosen Ty Lee. The ability to take away bending was very useful. There were other weapons specialists in the world- but she had yet to meet anyone with Ty Lee's mastery.

"I hadn't heard about this," she told Ty Lee with a good deal more emotion than she really felt. "I… I was hoping that the two of us would go retrieve her after this. I have a very important mission that could very well end the war."

Ty Lee cut off her snuffles, still sadly rubbing at her tear-streaked face. "What is it?" She cutely tilted her head to one side.

"The Avatar has reappeared, and Father is worried that he will inspire the Earth Kingdom to rise up." Technically true. Playing on her recently increased animosity for the Earth Kingdom could inspire Ty Lee to take this mission seriously. She schooled her face into sadness. "I don't suppose you'd like to come with me?" She closed her eyes, as if pained. "Even without Mai." She _was_ a little pained- this ruined so many of her plans. Could they be altered? Obviously, the cultivated alliance with Mai's family would have to go, as the adults were basically useless bureaucrats that she had been willing to tolerate for Mai's loyalty.

Of course, Ty Lee also had an influential family, and hers was very large. Ty Lee and Zuko would make a good match- they were both completely incapable of deception. But replacing Mai wouldn't be easy. Azula had groomed her from the age of six to be a perfect companion. '_Decisions, decisions_.'

"Of course I'd love to come with you!" Ty Lee jerked as if she wanted to hug Azula again and then thought better of it. "Of course, Princess Azula. I love my life here in the circus, but… I think the universe is giving me strong signs that it's time for a career change. Mai would have wanted us to continue." She grimaced, a very un- Ty Lee expression. "Are we going to find a third person?"

"I'm not sure," Azula said, tapping her fingers against the parchment in her hand. "I don't know who else I trust like I trust your capabilities. I certainly don't want just anyone. But two does seem like a small team."

'_Besides, Ty Lee's cheer will get on my nerves without someone else to balance us out. Perhaps I could find another weapons master to round out the group. Is there another girl with Mai's abilities?'_

* * *

The Kyoshi Warriors (and trainees) looked at the squalor of Ba Sing Se's lower ring and grimaced. Quite frankly, it was utterly dismal and foul, unlike anything they had ever seen. Guiltily, Suki remembered Kyoshi Island's own relative prosperity- a prosperity that had been purchased with the blood of other Earth Kingdom citizens who hadn't had the ability to declare themselves neutral.

'_No more_,' she reminded herself. '_We aren't neutral any longer. We just have to get an audience with the Earth King. I'm sure he'll know what we should do.'_

Meeting with the Earth King certainly hadn't been their first idea, but when it sank in that they were going to have to take the civilians in their protection all the way to the grand city anyway… Well, it just made sense to try to coordinate with the man directing the Earth Kingdom's massive army. Without that, they might well foul up some critical plans.

But Ba Sing Se was depressing. It certainly wasn't living up to the expectations they had for the last great safehaven from the Fire Nation. Weary refugees filled the streets with dead-eyed stares and crowded in front of unsafe factories and dark rooms begging for a chance to work or a place to live. Even the locals were grim-faced and solemn, repressed people who went about their business looking shifty. The people were frightened.

And no wonder- they had been in the city for less than an hour before a man had made a disturbance, arguing with a clerk about the war outside the city. Natives had turned pale and bustled away, leaving an open space around him on an otherwise crowded street while the clerk repeatedly insisted that there was no war in Ba Sing Se and would you lower your voice, sir? It did no good- a man in green leapt from one of the tiled roofs and bound the panicking man's hands behind his back with stone cuffs. Still in shock, he was led away for an undisclosed reason. Suki had stepped forward to ask what was going on, but an older woman had grabbed her sleeve and gestured furiously for her to hold her tongue.

It had taken a while for them to find someone who was willing to explain what had just happened- a friendly teenage girl who had offered to show them around the city. Jin had explained that she and a few others often helped refugees acclimate, because no one else took responsibility for explaining the rules. She had nervously told them about the man they had seen- he was a member of the Dai Li, an elite earthbender who served the political interests of the Earth King and worked to protect Ba Sing Se's cultural heritage and maintain order. That all sounded very well and good until they learnt that people who displeased the Dai Li were taken away and never seen again. Families who complained disappeared in the night.

"We've brought our charges from the fire to a viper's pit", Biyu hissed to Suki. She couldn't argue the point. Even worse, they couldn't really protect them any longer. Once they entered the city, the former villagers dispersed into the crowds in small groups. The warrior girls stubbornly stayed together, but Suki had no idea how she could house all the girls. As a group, they actually had a rather large sum of money. The funds that they had earned before the village was attacked were relatively substantial, especially since a recent mission had resulted in the collection of two bounties.

"Who would we talk to about arranging a meeting or communication with the Earth King?" Jin looked flustered at that.

"I wouldn't know." She laughed. "I'm sure someone far grander than you'll meet in the Lower Ring."

Suki had grit her teeth at that. "How do I get out of the Lower Ring?"

"Temporarily? You can't, unless you have a pass as a messenger of some sort. Other than that, only people with money or diplomatic status live in the Upper Rings." Jin's discomfited expression indicated that her family had neither. Her embarrassment was unnecessary- the patches on her thin dress told Suki the same thing.

"We have money," she said tersely. "Do we need to purchase passes? How does this work?"

As it turned out, purchasing passes for every girl and trainee would have been the end of their money. She had bought four and rented out an entire house for the rest of the girls to stay in, "Just until we meet with the Earth King and figure out what we are doing next." Then Suki took her three best girls and left the Lower Ring to explore the nicer districts. Their clothes fit in better here than they had in the Lower Ring- at least in terms of quality. By no means were they blending in with the fashions of the Middle Ring, but it was good enough. Unfortunately, there was no friendly Jin to help them here, and they got bounced from bureaucrat to bureaucrat. No one seemed to know how to contact the Earth King to get a meeting. One helpful but under-informed soul took a look at the ugly burns on Mayani's hands and directed them to a house of healing who would likely help with that problem, at least.

It wasn't the problem Suki wanted solved, but she did want to take care of her girls and Mayani wasn't the only one suffering. With that in mind, they went to see the healer.

Healer Amani had taken one look at them and scowled. Surprised, Suki reflexively turned around to see how the old man was so angry with, but there was no one else present.

"Is something wrong?"

He sneered. "You're combatants, aren't you?"

Suki's jaw muscle tensed, but she remained civil when she gave a short affirmative reply.

"Then you've no business bringing a minor injury like that here." He gestured at the crowded clinic. "Look at this- don't you see that I'm busy enough? I won't be babying soldiers who should have learned battlefield medicine like the rest of us."

"I've never heard of anything like that." Suki blinked. "Healers don't fight and fighters don't heal."

"Maybe that's true in the backwater you come from, girlie, but here in civilization we teach soldiers to take care of their own ouchies so that they actually survive." His tone was positively scathing. "I'll have a look, but just the once. If you want anything more, you can try learning to do it yourself."

Biyu gave him a searching glance. Her clear voice rang out, cutting through the hostile air. "Would you be willing to take an apprentice, then?" Surprised that her authority had been undercut in public, Suki scrunched her brow nearly imperceptibly. Biyu gave her an apologetic smile, and continued. "We had no such tradition back home, but if you would be willing to allow me or one of my companions to study under you, we will take your teachings with us and pass them down."

Healer Amani pursed his lips in thought, clearly surveying his crowded clinic. "It won't be pleasant work, girl," he warned. "I'll get my use of you, and you'll get more experience than you ever wanted. I see injuries from the wall almost every day."

Biyu's eyes hardened. "I think that we've seen enough that none of us would be too shocked."

Suki took the moment to cut in, "We will need to take the night to decide who is best suited to such an apprenticeship." Biyu obediently slunk back into her position behind Suki's right shoulder, her painted face as placid as if she was a statue that had never spoken.

"Fine." The Healer waved a hand negligently. "But whoever comes in isn't going to wear that ridiculous paint in my clinic. My patients will think the kabuki theatre has been reopened."

She felt her fist clench. With some effort, Suki restored her face to its usual impassivity and said no more. The Healer fetched a small pot of a scented ointment that was to be smeared on burns twice daily for at least six days and then took their coin before bustling off to another patient. Suki held the paint to her chest as if it was a great treasure. In a way, it was. They hadn't had anything like it on the long walk to Ba Sing Se, or back in the village. They had a village healer, of course, but she had only delivered babies and made teas that soothed pains and upset stomachs.

"It's a good idea, Biyu," Suki stated, feeling a little resentful at yet another thing she had failed to teach her warriors. Her second inclined her head briefly in acknowledgment. Suki sighed. "Let's go back to the Lower Ring for the night, pass this stuff out and figure out who will be lucky enough to study under that cheery Healer so that they can teach the rest of us."

* * *

"Do you see what I see?"

In a surprisingly seedy pub in the Middle Ring, one of very few places in Ba Sing Se where alcohol was legally sold, a strong man with black tattoos set down his sake and leaned back to stare in the same direction as his usual drinking partners, both of whom were looking up. "Is that…" The man fished out the wanted notice he had picked up and read through the information again. Bounty hunters had a pretty wide information net. It wasn't the first time that he had picked up information about a target that the Fire Nation wanted, but it was the first time he had been so tempted.

It wasn't that he was loyal to the Earth Kingdom, per say. No, the ruling class in Ba Sing Se was just as full of back-stabbing nobles as the Fire Nation's courts were. Everyone needed mercenaries, hitmen, and unscrupulous bounty hunters. When your first loyalty was money, followed by your own skin, patriotic concerns were unconvincing at best.

However, the trouble of transporting a captive all the way back to Fire Nation custody often offset the lure of the bounty for doing so. But this notice- well, it stated that he was preferred alive, but that had the pretty obvious implication that a bounty hunter who could prove they had killed the target would still get to collect the money for it.

And boy, was this a lot of money.

"How lucky are we, that a flying bison with such a sweet target flies right over our heads?" It seemed like fate.

"It's headed to the palace," one of his friends objected. "We'd never leave there alive if we tried to get in."

The bulkiest man present slammed a fist down on the table, rattling their dirty dishes. "Don't be such a coward," he rumbled. "For that much money? I'd tangle with the Dai Li. We wouldn't have to ever come back here. We could rush them, grab the target-"

"Or his head", the sole woman at the table muttered, receiving snickers.

"and get the hell out of this place. We'd be rich beyond our wildest dreams. Who'd need to come back here? We'd never work again."

"We barely work now," the only person who had yet to speak drawled. He gave an unpleasant smirk and turned his face so that the light caught the silver hair at his temples. "But I like this idea. If we rush up there now, they'll be too busy gushing about the novelty of the avatar to pay the attention that they should to patrols and protocol. We only need a moment."

There was a moment of silence. Then the table collectively began swigging down the last of their alcohol and digging out coin to pay off the tab. Lin spun a silver coin between her fingers before she tossed it down. "Mama's going to get a brand new pair of shoes," she joked. It wasn't funny, but everyone present laughed, preoccupied with thoughts of just what they could do with the bounty money after collecting it and getting rid of their peers. Who wanted to split a fortune between six people, after all?

* * *

Aang whooped cheerily, glad to be finally seeing Ba Sing Se below him. He'd traveled a lot in the two years after he got his mastery, but he had never been to the city before. Everywhere people in the streets stopped to point. He waved at first, but the realized that they couldn't tell from this distance anyways. They stood in streets paved with white between buildings with colorful red and orange roofs, interspersed with striking green gardens and thin veins of water that ran under bridges. The city seemed too beautiful to be real from up here- the Professor's dour warnings almost had to be exaggerations. When he met the earth king, they would sort everything out.

He was really glad to be taking some responsibility off his shoulders. It seemed that everywhere he went, people thought he was going to do something amazing to restore the balance. One popular idea was that he should sink the Fire Nation beneath the waves. He cringed away from the idea- he couldn't kill, not even bad people. Besides, he still wasn't convinced that they were all bad. He'd had lots of fun with his Fire Nation friends, back in the day.

Surely the king had a much better idea. Maybe the Fire Nation could be negotiated with, or scared into stopping all the bad things they were doing. Maybe those people didn't realize how much they were hurting the world. After all, most people are generally nice. If they knew about what was going on, they wouldn't like it.

Toph's face was slightly green, despite her best efforts at stoicism. Appa had spotted the palace and Aang jerked the reins to ask him to land. The bison had cheerfully complied by the simple expedient of _stopping airbending_ and dropping into a free fall for a few moments. Sukka yelped and grabbed at the pack on her lap and even blind, Toph could feel how tightly Katara was holding onto the saddle. Then the Professor started screaming. He only stopped when they were firmly on land, crushing what had been a lovely flowering bush, right in front of a strange hairy animal and a man with tiny spectacle and a big hat who was wearing more jewelry than all the women of the Southern Water Tribe put together.

"Bosco, get away from them!"

The animal gave a happy roar and lunged at Appa, little coat flapping in the wind. Appa snuffled at him and nudged the _thing_ named Bosco with his nose, knocking it clean over. Aang giggled. "Appa, you made a friend!" He jumped off the side of the saddle at a thoroughly unnatural angle (for anyone other than an airbender, that is) and landed lightly in front of the man, between him and the weird furry animal. "Hi, I'm the Avatar. I wanted to meet with the Earth King."

Earth King Kuei blinked uncertainly at Aang once, twice, and then shrugged as if to say 'what can you do'. "You found him." Then he visibly brightened. "How exciting!" He examined Aang as if he was a particularly interesting animal in the zoo. "I've read so much about the Avatar! This is Bosco. He's a bear." Bosco groaned. His eyes flickered over to the group of girls who had just gotten off Appa and then to Professor Zei who was still awkwardly struggling out of the saddle.

Aang noticed the look. "These are my friends!" He gestured to all of them. "This is Appa, he's a sky bison. The grownup is Professor Zei from the Ba Sing Se University; we met him on our way here. He makes great fruit snacks."

Sukka could _feel_ the Professor trying not to cringe at this introduction to his monarch. Aang blustered on quickly. Apparently he didn't see any problem with what he'd said.

"This is Toph Bei Fong, and she's the best earthbender in the whole world; Katara is my waterbending teacher, and-"

"I'm Katara's older sister; Sukka," She cut in. She gave Aang a mildly scolding look. "Daughters of Chief Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribe."

"Right, and this is Momo!" Aang held the lemur out triumphantly. He chirped and made a grab for Kuei's jade necklace. "No, that's not yours."

"Your highness!" A group of men in green uniforms rushed out, accompanied by an older man in a long black coat.

Kuei waved them off. "It's fine, Long Feng. This is the Avatar and his companions, isn't that exciting! Why don't you take a walk with us? The rest of you can go back to whatever you were doing,"

"But, your highness-"

"It'll be fine."

Long Feng examined the small group of children before sighing. "As you wish." Sukka noticed that although the king had already dismissed the uniformed men- guards of some sort, perhaps?- they didn't make a move until Long Feng gave the word. '_Curious.'_

"Who do I have the pleasure of meeting?" Long Feng's expression was stern and unamused. He seemed clearly unhappy that they had barged into the heart of the palace._ 'I suppose I would be displeased in his position as well. It was a little rude of us. Maybe I should have told Aang to listen to the Professor._' Sukka squirmed, but managed to still herself by the time that introductions had been done again, this time by the king. _'Lucky Long Feng wasn't here when Aang almost blurted out that I'm a firebender,_' she thought wryly. '_He looks much more observant than the king.'_ After the introductions where the other two girls had been revealed as benders, she could just **see** him deciding that Sukka was the least threat. That assessment was fine by her. She wasn't nearly as sure as Aang was that the Earth King was a nice guy who just needed to be talked at about what the hell he was doing to his people, what with the creepy kidnappings and such. Her decidedly mediocre firebending wasn't much of an ace in the hole, but she'd take any advantage she could get. Besides, it wasn't a good first impression to make. As soon as a girl starts shooting flames from her fingertips, people freak out about the Fire Nation. Crazy assumption.

'_I bet he's a bender. He disregarded me as a threat as soon as he determined I wasn't one, despite being the oldest here by far. No one who'd trained with my dad or Suki would make that mistake. That's arrogance.'_

Slightly worse than Long Feng's apparent arrogance was the hole in the ground that opened up right under the group, surprising even Aang into an awkward fall. In an instant, clumps of rock were flying in seemingly random attacks.

"What's going on?"

Toph was the first to get her bearings. She scowled. "Five earthbenders, hiding in the ground around us and attacking blindly. They can't see us, but I can see them!" She made a fist and gave a little kick. A muffled howl and a horrible snapping sound emanated from somewhere to the left. A fist-sized chunk of rock caught Sukka across her legs and she fell over, scraping her hands horribly on the sharp gravel that had formed out of nowhere. Being attacked by five people at once was really disorienting, apparently. And an enemy she couldn't see was nearly impossible to fight. Long Feng slid with catlike grace into an earthbending stance and gave a shout. Whatever he was about to do was cut off by the short blade that was suddenly sticking out of his head. Dumbfounded, Sukka watched as it took what felt like a hundred heartbeats for him to slump over, clearly dead.

Then she looked up in the direction that the projectile had come from. A sixth person was crouched on a lower branch of a tree in the courtyard, next to the outer gate. Before she could even think to engage him, one of the uniformed men from earlier shot a giant disk of rock at him that crushed him like a blood-sucking bug. She gagged at the spray that erupted across the beautiful courtyard, but the guard- _who was clearly a master earthbender_- had moved on to help two more of his companions-_where did they come from anyways?-_ who were raising what seemed to be an impenetrable barrier around the earth king. She caught a glimpse of Momo fluttering to safety, Katara cutting a projectile in half with a water whip, Aang deflecting a barrage with his staff -and then she had to duck away from a rock that would have crushed her. The world sped back up again and she noticed that the falling earth was making rather a lot of noise- who knew? She could _swear_ that she'd only been hearing her own heartbeat.

"I'm working on it!" Toph shouted in response to something that Sukka hadn't heard. Her face was as pale as it ever was when flying on Appa, but she practically flew through motions that Sukka had never seen before, certainly not when Toph had been teaching Aang.

And then it was over. Toph gave a fierce kick to the ground that raised five pillars of earth up, a body secured in each. One of them was clearly dead, his head limply lolling back to glare dolefully at the sky. The others were struggling furiously. The barrier around Kuei fell, and he stumbled out, clutching his hat. "Can you get us out of this hole?" He hollered up. In response, the four uniformed men arranged themselves around the makeshift death pit and scooped up, smoothing out the jagged places where the earth had been shoved after the assassins had pulled it from below the group. Long Feng's corpse gave an awkward twitch and his head rolled to the side as the ground settled, stopping when the blade protruding from his temple caught on the ground.

Apparently the king was about as unnerved as she felt when he looked down and caught sight of his advisor. Kuei stumbled away from the group, face white and fingers trembling.

"Does this happen a lot?" Sukka managed to croak. He wordlessly shook his head in response, looking like he wanted to cry.

"Take- Take these people away." Kuei gestured weakly to the four survivors among their assailants. "Find out what exactly they hoped to accomplish." He slumped towards the ground. Katara gave a soft cry and moved to help him stand. Toph was ostensibly providing similar support to Aang, but she was probably benefitting from the comfort as much as he was.

_'Well, that escalated quickly.'_

"Maybe we should go inside," Professor Zei half-heartedly suggested. He gestured to the three bodies. "Who would take care of… all this?"

"If it pleases your majesty, I will contact Long Feng's wife." One of the guards spoke up with a calm voice; facial expression concealed under his broad hat. "The others can be incinerated."

Kuei looked green. "Yes. Thank you." His eyes wandered over to Long Feng's face, still arranged in the determined expression she remembered him holding. Her stomach turned.

'_Pretty sure that's the first time that anyone of us saw someone killed._' Her eyes traveled over to the smallest member of their group. '_Or killed anyone themselves.'_

And then Toph turned and threw up into the beautiful rose bushes.

* * *

"I thought he was going to dodge to the right," Toph mumbled over her cup of chai in the room they had been asked to wait in while Kuei met personally with the recent widow. "He should have dodged the first strike, it was slow enough. I've never fought anyone who couldn't have." She cringed. "I've never fought anyone who'd handicapped themselves by surrounding themselves with limestone, either."

Their small group was alone again- Professor Zei having left to find his family, but not before he'd explained in whispers that the earthbenders they'd seen were Dai Li agents and warned them to be careful.

"It wasn't your fault, Toph." Katara laid a comforting hand on the smaller girl's shoulder. "You didn't mean to do it, but even if you did no one could blame you. They came to kill us, and you were the only one who could fight them. You're a hero."

Aang's face twisted in denial, but Sukka shot him a sharp look. Now was not the time for him to remind everyone that monks didn't kill anyone. Toph wasn't a monk. Normal people couldn't live like that if they were attacked. If you can't fly away from your assailants, you had to make harder choices.

He seemed to read her thoughts. Aang ducked his face away and said nothing.

'_Warriors have to kill.'_ Sukka silently poured another round of tea. The sweets that had been provided with the drink lay untouched. No one seemed to feel hungry, but the tea gave them something to do with their hands. '_I bet dad's killed plenty. There's no shame in killing a man who would kill you_.' She glanced at Toph, small and frail-looking for once. '_But I bet he didn't have to do it when he was twelve._'

If she could have, she would have taken the burden off Toph's tiny shoulders. '_Maybe I was speaking a little prematurely when I thought that it was arrogant of Long Feng to discount a non-bender in a fight. I was completely useless back there._' Her lips twisted into a frown. '_I need training, and I need it fast._' The only person who had been more helpless in that fight than her was the Earth King. Of course, Tui only knew where Jeong Jeong was by now, and it wasn't like this damn city was full of friendly firebenders, only waiting to be asked to help a girl out.

* * *

Zuko slumped against the inner wall of the ridiculous teashop that Uncle had decided would be their cover in the Middle Ring of this horrible city. '_We need to blend in, my ass_,' he thought viciously. _'Uncle just wants an excuse to sit around and drink tea all day. He'll probably be happier here than he's ever been in his life._' He tried not to cringe at that thought. He hadn't just wasted three years of his life, he'd wasted _Uncle's_ too. His guilt for that was the only reason he was following along with Uncle's plan to blend in. It had cost him his phoenix plume. He hadn't cut it, but just taking his hair down made him feel like less of a prince and more of an ugly, purposeless teen among hundreds. Some utterly horrid hat that was apparently fashionable was disguising the unique shaved cut of his hair, which laid down his back and bothered him terribly.

Everything about this disguise suited him ill. The Earth Kingdom green, the cut of his clothes, even the fake name on his very expensive forged identity. At least Azula's gigantic purse had been useful, though certainly not as she intended. Entering the city as refugees had been humiliating. Buying passes to the Middle Ring had only slightly improved the situation. It was galling to know that the last of their money had been spent on ugly clothes and this tasteless tea shop, but if Uncle's enthusiasm was any indicator, they would soon be making enough money to replace it.

'_I'm not sure if this is really a cover identity or if he actually wants to live here._' Zuko sighed, feeling morose and driftless. What was the point? He couldn't go home. His honor was gone. Uncle seemed to think he hadn't realized it, but he wasn't stupid. Zuko knew his birthright had been lost. If he couldn't return home, he would never inherit. Father didn't want him. Azula was going to be the next Fire Lord. '_And she's going to burn the Earth Kingdom to the ground. She'll probably burn the Fire Nation to the ground for kicks while she's at it._' Azula would always be his baby sister, but she had a terrifying disregard for everyone else. She would gleefully cut a bloody swathe through anyone and everyone who glanced at her wrong. '_and she probably set me up to get killed on the way to Omashu. Wonder if she was even telling the truth when she said Mai was there?'_

He consciously left that chain of thought. It wasn't his business anymore.

Three years of his life had been completely wasted. If he was such a failure that his father never wanted him back (as was now clear), why had he even taunted him with the possibility of return? Was it just sadism? He'd thought it to be another seemingly impossible test in a long series of expectations he couldn't live up to. Had his father expected him to fail all the others, too? Why even try?

If he had been a different person, he might have cried. Instead, Zuko floated between directionless anger and numbly following Uncle's directions. There was no point to following the Avatar to Ba Sing Se, other than the satisfaction of seeing whether or not his deduction had been correct. There was no point to anything anymore. He was a failure.

Perhaps he really should cut off the topknot, like Uncle Iroh had. He didn't deserve it. Zuko's fingers drifted to the back of his neck, sliding through the long hair that trailed down his back. Just to remind himself it was there.


	8. Chapter 8

"What do you mean, 'what war'?" Sukka stared at Earth King Kuei, utterly confused. "The war that has been going on for about a hundred years, somewhat aptly referred to as the hundred year war? You know, the reason your city is full of refugees?"

Kuei frowned. "You're not making any sense. I think I would know if there was a war."

Toph groaned. "Apparently not."

"Look, why don't you talk to your generals? Or come with us on Appa to see the massive army sitting outside your wall blocking off the harbor? They've been there for a pretty long time, in their silly little boats."

Everyone gave Sukka a dirty look for that. She shrugged. "They are silly boats."

"Or you could go see your people," Katara suggested. "The Lower Ring is full of refugees. You could ask any of them. Maybe the people from Kyoshi are here."

"Oh!" Aang bounced. "Yeah, that's a good idea. Are the Kyoshi warriors here?"

Kuei looked thoroughly unconvinced. "I don't know what a Kyoshi Warrior is, and I certainly haven't seen or heard of one. I suppose I could look into it. But the rest of this? It's just ridiculous. Long Feng was my most trusted advisor. Why would he have kept something like this from me?"

"He could have had a good reason," Aang piped up hopefully. "But since we don't know what it is, we should err on the side of gathering information, don't you think? Come on, you'll love Appa!"

Toph made a distinctly rude face that implied she thought any good Earth Kingdom soul would prefer to have their feet firmly planted.

The Earth King did enjoy flying on Appa, as it turned out. "I've never left the palace before," he shouted. "Ba Sing Se is beautiful!"

"The Upper Rings are, anyway." Katara reminded. "The Lower Rings are crowded and the people there are really suffering." It was hard to tell that from the air, however. It was obvious that the buildings were much smaller and less colorful, but that didn't accurately convey just what it was like on the ground.

"There's the outer wall." Aang pointed. He tugged on Appa'a reigns. "We need to go over here, buddy."

Kuei adjusted his tiny spectacles, holding his hat on with his other hand. "I don't see any army."

"You wouldn't at this section of the wall. Look over there. I don't want to get too close. Over in the harbor. They've been restricting sea travel." Katara set a hand on Aang's shoulder for balance as she rose up on her knees to get a better look. He flushed.

"My word! That's a lot of ships!"

"Boats," Sukka corrected.

"Boats", Kuei amended reflexively before he frowned in confusion. "No, I'm pretty sure they're ships, based on the size. Look at- are those _catapults_? How interesting, I've seen diagrams of those."

Sukka leaned over to check. "Yeah, I think so."

"What are they doing with them?"

"Uh, they're lighting the tray thing on fire, I think."

Aang yelped and patted Appa's neck. "Time to go back!" Appa gave a grumble that shook the saddle and veered away sharply, suddenly flying much group gave nervous looks behind them. Several ships were actually launching their fireballs.

"Oh, hell." Sukka grabbed onto the side of the saddle, fingers white. "Everybody get down!" The kids curled in, making themselves as small a target as possible while Appa bellowed in fright and dodged as best as he could. Kuei whimpered, too frightened by the novelty of being a target for the second time in his life. Aang, on the other hand, grabbed at his staff and began to spin it, generating wind that he used to knock away any attacks that got too close. In less than a minute of heart-wrenching surety that they'd gotten a little too close to the harbor, it became clear that they were out of range.

"I need to think," Kuei stated once they landed in the palace gardens. He motioned to a green-clad servant. The woman hurried over and ducked her head subserviently. "These four need arrangements for housing while they are in the city." Then he made a face and corrected, "They will need quite a bit of room to house their flying bison."

"Of course, your majesty." She inclined her head. "May I suggest accommodations in the East sector of the Middle Ring? To my knowledge, there is no diplomatic housing in the Upper Ring that would be suitable for Sir Appa."

"That's fine. They'll need passports, tickets, and documentation to prove that they are my guests so that all charges they incur will be charged to the royal purse." Kuei waved her off and then addressed Aang.

"Follow her, please. I will look into the Kyoshi warriors for you, but I will be occupied with trying to get abreast of this war situation and find out what exactly has been going on with my Dai Li. Someone will come by to bring you to meet with me in a few days. Make yourselves at home while you are here." He strode away, already looking distracted. "You there," he called to a Dai Li. "I want to find out exactly what has been going on. Tell my generals I want to meet them in the solarium immediately, and I want a report from you on whatever projects Long Feng had been working on."

"Well, I guess he's making progress," Aang said uncertainly.

The woman they were to follow gave an imperious sniff. "Indeed. If you would follow me, please?"

* * *

Zuko felt the fuzzy growth on his skull, and frowned at his reflection. It was about a week past the time when he would have shaved the sides of his head to maintain his hairstyle, had he still been on his ship.

It looked truly terrible next to the long hair that trailed down his back. He had never allowed the rest of his hair to grow out again after it had been seared off in that Agni Kai. Maybe he should cut it all down to the shortest level and let it grow out evenly. If he didn't at some point, he'd have uneven hair for the rest of his life. Frankly, the style was far too distinctive for him to keep when he was trying to keep a low profile.

He sighed and reached for the short blade on the countertop. With one quick slice, the hair fisted in his hand came free. Zuko felt distinctly anticlimactic when he had to spend the next twenty minutes attempting to get his hair to about the same length. It wasn't pretty, but he dropped the towel from his waist and hurriedly dressed for the day. There wasn't enough time to get it perfect- he'd probably end up bald anyway if he kept cutting.

For some reason, Uncle had chosen to allow Zuko to do the hiring- Uncle was absolutely delighted to work in his new shop blending teas, but Zuko had zero intention of serving it. That meant they had to find someone to do so- preferably someone who wouldn't be particularly curious or troublesome.

"Why under Agni's light would he want me to do the hiring?" Zuko grumbled and stomped all the way out the front door to open up and meet with any applicants who had seen their posting on the job board. He completely missed seeing Uncle creep in to the house to change and get ready for work after a late night of drinking and 'socializing' with the neighbor lady.

* * *

"Again."

Aang pouted and kicked at the dirt. "I've been practicing for hours! Isn't it time to take a break?"

"You have been working him pretty hard," Katara added. "Maybe it's time to go look around the city. Wouldn't that be nice?"

"Gee, Katara, I've seen all I want to of this city," Toph said sourly. She waved one tiny, filthy hand in front of her face. Her eyes conspicuously did not follow the movement. "Besides, Twinkletoes is without a doubt the worst earthbender I've ever met. He could use all the practice he can get."

Aang cringed and obediently sank back into the crouch Toph had him performing.

Bored, Sukka wandered back into the house and poked around the kitchen. There wasn't much in the way of edibles inside- which was a shame, considering her massive appetite. They had eaten out the previous two days at little stands setting hot meat, bread, and fresh fruits.

She sighed.

"This sucks." Watching everyone else practice bending in the courtyard and fountain was getting pretty old. She had already polished her fan to perfection and whirled through routines until her arms shook. '_Maybe I could work on that project for Haru… Ba Sing Se is huge. There have to be people who would be willing to travel for work.'_

"I'm going to go take a walk," Sukka called out. She slipped on her yellow shoes and ran her hands over her hair to make sure it was still fine. She had slept on it out of laziness, but it seemed to be okay. The others gave her distracted 'goodbyes' and continued with their respective projects (practicing hurling terrifying ice daggers, working futilely towards the set goal of 'move a rock' and pretending to be some sort of drill sergeant).

The passport papers secured under her Kyoshi armor were a bit of a pain to get at when she reached the Torii gates that separated the Lower and Middle Rings, so she folded them and tucked them into the waistband of her pants when she was done with them. There was an incredible visual difference between the Middle and Lower Ring- the large manor homes with lawns and restaurants with women in face paint playing stringed instruments were gone. Instead, the streets were narrow and uneven stone surrounded by rickety apartment buildings and flimsy wooden stands where gaunt-faced men and pretty teens hawked wares. Strong men with heavy goods on their backs trailed from the docks and factories.

It was simultaneously lively and depressing- if it weren't so dingy, she might have liked it. The constant bustle reminded her of life before the Southern Raiders had depleted their villages to almost nothing. Katara was too young to remember a time when all the little satellite villages had been within an hour's walking distance and all the ice huts had been full of little families.

She had to get directions twice, but Sukka eventually found herself at a massive board with expensive paper listing job openings. The two listings seemed utterly pitiful on the massive surface. One for a tea house looking for two to three servers, and one was for a printer requesting that only highly literate job seekers apply.

It was pretty depressing to see the huge jobless masses going hungry in comparison to the amount of labor available, especially unskilled work. She wandered around until she found a nearby woman who sold paper and ink (apparently, she wasn't the only one who had forgotten to bring a ready-made posting). When she was done writing up the pertinent information- hiring several positions for an entrepreneur outside of Ba Sing Se at what used to be a legendary hot springs that they were looking to make a tourist destination again- she bit her lip thoughtfully and requested that interested parties meet her for an interview tomorrow morning at a park she had passed on her way there.

She wasn't ten feet away before someone pointed at the new posting and scurried over to investigate. Sukka shoved a hand into the embroidered pocket on the front of her pants, feeling self conscious as she walked away.

To kill time, she explored up several streets that took her out of her way back to the house. The venders shouting were starting to get on her nerves, now that they weren't so exotic. The wares were interesting, though. A few servings of some dumpling-like sweet on a stick had solved her hunger, and she finally noticed all the strange good being sold. She had never seen an open-air market for clothes, or furniture. There were brightly colored blankets and woven goods unlike anything she had ever seen before. She stopped to admire a pair of soft shoes with some sort of white fur on the inside that reminded her of the boots back home, but reluctantly left them. Shoes were heavy, and she didn't need extra pairs. She already had two, and those fur-lined slippers were more pretty than practical.

Despite what her logic told her, Sukka cast a wistful glance behind her when she tore herself away from the stall. They were adorable shoes- a light brown boot-type thing that would have reached up just above her ankles.

When she got back to the house, everyone else was ready to go out for dinner. Katara scolded the other three for ordering only desserts while she picked at her cabbage self-righteously. Aang was the only one who reddened and held out his plate for a serving of vegetables.

"Wuss," Toph hissed at him through a mouthful of some sort of cake. He shrugged helplessly.

Sukka only regretted that she ate enough sweets to give her a tummyache that kept her up for hours. As such, everyone else was already up by the time she blearily stumbled out of her covers, scratching at her hip.

"Twinkletoes and Sugar Queen went for a walk," Toph said shortly. She crossed her arms. "And don't you have someplace to be?"

"Oh, shit!" Sukka scurried into her clothing as quickly as possible, finding that her fingers struggled over the ties that secured her Kyoshi armor when she tried to hurry. "Are you coming with me?" She tossed a glance at Toph, who sighed and scratched her nose.

"Only because you asked so nicely."

Sukka kept a close eye on her diminutive companion on the walk to the park. After her initial panic and tears, Toph had clammed up and reverted back to her 'tough' act. Sukka was now absolutely sure that it really was an act- no one who had been that affected by accidentally killing someone would just be okay the next day.

It was painfully obvious that Toph didn't want to talk about it, and Sukka didn't exactly know how to start that conversation or if she could even help. She'd never killed anyone- she wasn't a mentor who could guide Toph.

Toph was helpful with their interviews, though. She had no problems with rejecting people who weren't suitable, and she seemed to have a sixth sense for reading people. She was also excellent for gauging the skill of the earthbenders who wanted construction work and the cushy job of maintaining the premises. In only one day, they had two earthbenders and someone who had been an assistant manager at a spa in town- a young woman with a stern mien named Michiru. She was more than willing to leave her position in order to manage the prospective resort. They hadn't had any luck with staffing the teahouse, but had been referred to a couple of restaurants where they would likely find information. If they didn't have any luck, Michiru was going to take care of it.

"Well, that was long and boring." Toph cracked her fingers and spat. Sukka cringed a little, but didn't stop grinning.

"I thought that worked out really well," she defended. She inhaled deeply, enjoying the scent of something spicy coming from the marketplace. "Let's stop for a snack on the way back to the house."

"Fine." Toph shrugged. "But in the Middle Ring. I'm pretty sure I'm smelling cooked rat meat right now."

"What's a rat?"

"A rodent with big teeth that eats dead things and carries diseases. They infest places where they can get scraps of food."

Sukka turned faintly green. "Middle Ring it is." With a little wandering, they found a recently opened tea shop on their side of town, where the buildings were newest and wealthy immigrants seemed to end up. The other side of the Middle Ring was old, and families had been established in the houses there for generations. Apparently, Earth Kingdom citizens didn't move around much.

The tea shop itself was nothing special to look at, but it emitted a wondrous blend of scents. Even Toph actually seemed a little eager to get inside and be served.

"Welcome to the Jasmine Dragon. Seating for two?" a smiling teenage boy in a green vest greeted them. "Is a table over here acceptable?"

"Yes," Sukka nodded. She smoothed out her fabric on her legs as she sat and allowed the boy to push her chair in. Toph gave a dangerous looking scowl when he attempted to help her sit, and Sukka turned her face away to hide a smirk. A moment later, she heard the sounds of the poor waiter being knocked on his ass by what appeared to be an inexplicably placed outcropping of stone. She rolled her eyes as he scurried away with a red face. "You're a bully sometimes, you know that?" She said conversationally, picking up her menu.

Toph shrugged and scratched at her head. "What is that I smell? Some kind of dessert." She sniffed the air like a wolf scenting a rabbit. There was something distinctly feral about the way she bared her teeth.

"I'll find out when he returns," Sukka promised. "I bet it's the special, though. A cinnamon cake with a cream glaze…" She unconsciously licked her lips.

"It's excellent with the white peach tea," a very familiar voice cheerfully informed her from behind. She froze in her seat. Toph actually looked up and gave her an odd look, probably sensing her tenseness. "I must apologize for the server's clumsiness, ladies. I'm afraid that he is quite new. He started just a few days ago. I hope you can find it in your hearts to overlook his mistake. May I take your order instead?"

"I want the special, and the tea you recommended is fine. Sukka?"

The man behind her inhaled sharply, and Sukka turned to affirm that yes, she really was being served tea by a royal of the Fire Nation. "Fancy seeing you here," she said rather dryly. Then she leaned in closely. "Give me one good reason I shouldn't run out of here screaming for the palace guards."

Iroh anxiously scanned the room to affirm that there was no one within hearing distance. Zuko was sulking in the back room with a scroll, and the clumsy serving boy was still trying to clean his uniform. "May I take a seat?"

"Of course." Sukka pushed out a chair expectantly.

He cleared his throat quietly as he settled in. "I'm afraid that our situation back home has deteriorated. My brother was content to have my nephew banished for years, but something has changed. His mission was rescinded, and his sister made an attempt on his life. She is likely working to secure her place as heir apparent, which puts my nephew in grave danger. We have no haven outside the Earth Kingdom now, no support and no allies. We are simply trying to get by, and I was hoping to make a new life."

Sukka blinked. It sounded like something out of the stories- a banished prince and a usurped inheritance. She knew in the abstract that people were willing to fight over such things, but she had never seen evidence of anything more dramatic than honor fights to resolve questions of captaincy. If water tribe warriors were willing to fight friends and risk injury just for command of a ship, it didn't seem so far-fetched that a fire nation princess would try to maneuver for a throne. But trying to kill her brother? '_That's just insane._' She shifted uncomfortably.

"He's telling the truth," Toph grumbled. "Would someone mind telling me what's going on?"

_'What's going on is_ _either an __**enormous**__ pain in the butt, or a huge opportunity. I just have to decide which_.' She didn't say anything like that out loud, of course.

Sukka plastered on a shark's smile. She never had been as good at sweetness as Katara, but hopefully near-strangers wouldn't be able to tell. Hell, Iroh probably expected her to have an agenda here, so it might not even matter. "Oh, of course. Toph, this is Iroh, some Fire Nation person who I met when his nephew kidnapped me. Iroh, this is Toph Bei Fong, the greatest Earthbender in the world."

Iroh gave her a tired look while Toph beamed. "While I am here, I am Mushi. It is wonderful to see you again, Sukka, and to meet your young friend here. I am honored to make your acquaintance, Miss Bei Fong." He inclined his head graciously. "I'm afraid I must ask what you intend to do now. We do not intend any harm. We are in hiding from the Fire Nation as much as you are."

Sukka sucked in a breath and gave a long exhale, trying to think things through_. 'Is this a sign? Just yesterday I was complaining that I had no master to teach me bending, and here I meet up with two Fire Nation citizens, at least one of which is a bender.'_

"Earth to Sukka." A pebble bounced off her forehead. The door to the shop opened, and an older couple hobbled inside. Iroh gave them a quick glance, but allowed the boy at the door to greet and seat them.

"Where did you even get that," she mumbled, rubbing at her head. When Toph opened her mouth, she hurriedly said, "never mind, dumb question." She turned to Iroh, who didn't actually look very nervous at all."I don't know," she admitted. "Toph confirmed that you are telling the truth, but that doesn't tell me anything about Prin- I mean, about Sunshine."

_'Calling him 'prince ponytail' would probably be a bad idea, if they're trying to hide'_ She reasoned. And 'Sunshine' was just as funny.

"Sunshine?" Iroh asked dubiously. He shook his head. "My nephew, _Lee_, is actually in the back. He is… confused about what his path should be now. He has always done his best when he has a strong goal to work towards. Now that he has no set path… Well. I can get him if you would like to talk to him."

"He does an awful lot of shouting," Sukka drawled, pushing her chair back slightly with her toes pressed against the floor. "Are you quite sure you want him to have this conversation _here_?" Her eyes flickered over to the other patrons in the tea shop.

Iroh momentarily looked like he was going to protest, but his lips reluctantly stretched into a smile. "Your assessment is not inaccurate. If you would give me a moment, I will explain the situation to him, put your order in, and then you can go talk to him. How does that sound?"

"Works for me." Toph put her elbows on the table. Iroh shuffled off, and they heard him talking quietly with someone in the kitchen. A door opened, closed, and then a few seconds later a familiar voice shouted, "WHAT?"

Sukka gave a strange, convulsive sound that was almost a laugh while the old woman swiveled to stare towards the back. '_Yepp. That's Sunshine, alright._'

"Do things like this happen to you often?" Toph tapped her fingers on the tabletop.

"Things like what?" Sukka deflected.

The smaller girl leaned in over the table and lowered her voice. "Don't play dumb, Fan-Girl. 'Iroh' isn't a common name, you know. It's considered very presumptuous for anyone outside of the royal family to name a kid after a Fire Lord. That's the Fire Lord's brother making our tea. The Dragon of the West." She sighed, propping her chin on her left hand. "Which would make his nephew Prince Zuko. What are the odds?"

"I've never heard that dragon name," she pointed out. "You know quite a bit about the Fire Nation, don't you?" In the background, she could hear the door opening and the host greeting new customers.

"I was educated as a lady, nimrod." Toph made an ugly face, pulling down her lower eyelids. Sukka couldn't help but grimace at the unwanted view of her friend's eyeballs. "Plus my family does all this secret, illegal trade with the Fire Nation." As she said this part, she held her hands up and wiggled her fingers dramatically. "Everybody thinks they're eventually going to win the war, and my grandparents wanted to be on the winning side. My dad _hates_ them, but he's willing to make money off of them as long as no one else knows." She shrugged nonchalantly. "Hey, our tea is here."

Sukka looked up, to see the prince of the Fire Nation carrying a tea tray out. (and wasn't that a bizarre sight?) She could see the tenseness in his jaw from where he gritted his teeth from halfway across the room. "Good call, Toph," she complimented. It had apparently been a good time to switch his nickname- the ponytail was gone. His hair was cut a little too short to be flattering, but it was easy to see he was a lot cuter than she had given him credit for. The mostly shaved head had been a really harsh, unflattering look. '_And he does look pretty nice in that shirt._' Sukka licked her lips absentmindedly.

"Here." The cups clattered when Zuko shoved the wooden tray onto the table, ruining her ogling with the reminder of his pleasant personality. "Uncle said you would like a word?" The words were polite, but he said them as if he was addressing someone who had pissed in his tea.

"I see why she called you 'Sunshine', " Toph remarked with her usual bluntness. Sukka cringed. _'I wouldn't have said that to his face right now.'_

Said face was turning awfully red. "If you came here to mock me," he began hotly.

"No, nothing like that," Sukka interrupted, feeling strangely conciliatory. '_This is more Katara's gig than mine,'_ she inwardly moaned. "Maybe we should talk in private?" She suggested.

He gave her a suspicious look. "A fine idea!" Iroh bustled over out of nowhere, pulling out the seat he had occupied before. "I will keep this fine young lady company while you two discuss business." He winked at his red-faced nephew.

"Fine," Zuko gritted out, and threw the rag he'd used to protect his hands from the heat of the tray onto his uncle. "Let's go."

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

Zuko froze, back stiff. He didn't turn back to face them, but Sukka could picture his expression perfectly. "Enjoy your tea," he said icily. He seemed to be daring her to laugh. Instead, Sukka gave an amused half-smile to Iroh and promised Toph she'd be back quickly. The younger girl barely noticed as she shoveled cake into her mouth. '_Charming. I'm glad my friend is worried about the possibility that Prince Happypants is going to light me on fire so I can't tell anyone he's here_,' she noted dryly.

They passed through the entrance to the kitchen, and to what appeared to be a living area attached to the teashop. Zuko slammed the door behind them, then crossed his arms self-consciously. "Well?" he demanded.

She gave him an odd look. "Well what?" Sukka shrugged. "No hello, it's nice to see you? I start to worry that you don't treasure our friendship."

"I thought you had questions," he said in a tone of forced patience with one hand pressed to the bridge of his nose.

"Well, sort of," she said uncomfortably. "I was pretty surprised to see you here. Uh, no hard feelings about tricking you and sending you on a long trip out of your way, right?" She shifted nervously. "I realize that you're the least crazy and violent Fire Nation person I've met, but I still didn't want anyone chasing down my little sister. Nothing personal."

"Of course." He glared at her anyways. "It worked out. I would have gone north to head off the airbender, but I ended up having to avoid the area." He waved a hand irritably as if he was imaging hitting someone. "That same jackass who I had you avoid at port was going around demanding every ship in the area sign over to his authority so he could finish one of his never-ending vanity projects. We had to avoid the area and wound back up on Kyoshi, where I was told that the _avatar_," he stressed, "had just left." The accusing glare he gave her implied that he thought she had known Aang was the avatar from the start.

Sukka stepped backwards. "Then it was you who burned Kyoshi? What the hell?" she demanded. Her eyes stung and she blinked fiercely. "What were you _thinking_?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," he snapped. "In case you hadn't noticed, I'm a little out of the loop. No one is sharing information with me anymore." The accompanying eyeroll let her know that yes, he _did_ think she was a total idiot.

"Oh." She deflated. "Sorry. Someone came by with soldiers and burnt the village to the ground," she said quietly. "We found a few bodies, but almost everyone was missing. I don't know if they're refugees or in Fire Nation custody or what…"

Zuko's eyes flickered to her face. Awkwardly, he mumbled, "I don't think anyone would have taken the whole village prisoner. Most likely, they were intentionally left alive to spread the word of what would happen to anyone who harbored the avatar."

Sukka gave a mildly incredulous stare. "That was… comforting."

He shrugged. "So, are you going to turn us in?"

"I'm not sure yet," she confessed honestly. "I don't trust you per se, but I've never had reason to believe you are a liar and I can't even begin to imagine what evil plot you could possibly be leading against the Earth Kingdom from a tea shop." She paused. "Besides, this really does seem exactly where your uncle would end up if he was given half a chance."

"I'm so sick of tea," Zuko muttered sourly.

He really didn't look like he was plotting the downfall of anything. Actually, in Earth Kingdom clothes and with some hair… he just looked like any teenage boy. The burn scar actually sort of gave the impression that he had as much reason to hate the Fire Nation as anyone else. '_Besides, I'm not sure I'm cold enough to hand over someone I know to the Dai Li_.' Aang had even been worried about the failed assassins they had taken into their custody. She suppressed a shudder, remembering the casual brutality they'd shown in the fight the night she had arrived. The mercenaries at least sort of deserved rough treatment… If a sixteen year old boy and an elderly man were trying to make lives for themselves outside of the military… Well, that didn't seem like a crime worth punishing.

Besides… he could be incredibly useful, both to her personally as a Firebending tutor and more broadly to the war effort. Even banished and disgraced, a crown prince would be able to sway opinion and catch the interest of people. If he was willing to hide out here in the Earth Kingdom, he couldn't be as arrogant as she had thought. And he had never been overly vicious like the Southern Raiders or other Fire Nation military. Aang was supposed to somehow restore the balance- he couldn't do that by killing everyone who disagreed with him. Fire Lord Ozai was a warmonger and had to go… but he also had to be replaced by some sucker who would deal with all the problems an island nation having recently stopped a century of war would have.

And there was a fantastic sucker right in front of her, one with a blood claim to that throne.

"What are you planning to do?" she asked. "I mean, aren't you supposed to be the next Fire Lord? Are you really okay with letting your sister inherit? Your uncle said she tried to kill you."

Zuko's jaw dropped and for a moment he was speechless.

_'That may have been a __**little**__ blunt.' _Sukka clasped her hands behind her back and rocked back on her heels, feeling a smidgeon embarrassed.

"That's none of your business, peasant!" Smoke curled out of his mouth and his breathing turned harsh.

"I'm not a peasant," she pointed out. "And that's not an answer. I mean, you've got to be worried about what she'd do when she inherits, don't you? Or will she just not care about you then? It seems like anyone who is cut-throat enough to try to ensure they inherit by killing the competitor wouldn't want to leave them alive to lead a rebellion or cause dissent later."

'_Even if she wouldn't kill him for that… Well, if he thinks she'll leave him alone he'd have no reason to care about the outcome of the war or the succession. If he's still loyal, he definitely won't train me or Aang. But if I can convince him that his life is in danger, or that he has a good reason to oppose his sister...'_

"I said shut up!" His fists clenched and Zuko looked absolutely furious. "How would I know what she's going to do?"

"Would she be a good Fire Lord?" Sukka pressed. '_Come on, admit you think she won't_.'

"Azula would burn the Earth Kingdom to the ground." He threw his hands up helplessly. "She'd kill a thousand people for every one that disrespected her."

Sukka blinked.

"She doesn't sound like Fire Lord material," she noted dryly. _'Not that I know much about Fire Lords._'

"It doesn't matter," he muttered sullenly. "She's going to be Fire Lord. I wasted three years of my life trying to prove myself to my father, and as soon as I had a chance he took it away. I was never going to inherit."

"But you should," she said quietly. He looked up at her, surprised. "Your sister doesn't sound like a good ruler- she wouldn't be careful with her people. You at least try, and you aren't unnecessarily vicious. And you are the firstborn. That's important. A lot of people would support you, if you made a bid for your birthright. I'm betting you've seen enough of what war is really like that you want it to end. We want to end this war- how would your sister deal with other nations in a diplomatic sense?"

He cringed.

"That bad, huh? But you know, my friends and I could help you out." She shrugged. "I'm personal friends with the Avatar, my little sister is going to be Chief of the Southern Water Tribe, her friend Yue is princess of the Northern Water Tribe, and I'm on friendly terms with the Earth King." She stared evenly at him. "If you became personal friends with these people… Well. Just think of how much easier relations would be if the other countries didn't hate the Fire Nation? You've seen that what is happening here isn't right."

He ran his hands through his hair. "Are you serious?" He snapped. "What is this? I'm not cut out for politics. Azula is better at that anyway. And she'd treat the Fire Nation just fine."

"Who are you trying to convince, me or you," she parroted back words he'd told her months ago. He didn't seem to catch the irony. "She'd honestly deal well with being responsible for the protection of thousands of people she's never met, when she was willing to kill her only sibling in order to make sure she inherited? That's not the move of a compassionate ruler."

She moved to the door, and lightly punched his shoulder in a companionable gesture her father often gave Bato. "Think on it. The Fire Nation has been mostly fighting unopposed for generations, and they still haven't won. Now that the Earth and Water Kingdoms are uniting behind him, that war is going to change. I bet you don't want that reaching your shores. If the Earth Kingdom held their own for a hundred years, imagine what'll happen when they stop fighting defensively."

He stood stock-still as she walked out.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she called cheerfully behind her. He didn't answer.

* * *

As the door swung shut behind the two teens, Toph crossed her arms and stared combatively two feet to Iroh's left. "So," she challenged. "Should I be worried for my friend?"

"Not at all," Iroh smiled. He sniffed his tea contentedly. "I think I should be more concerned about your friend," he pointed out. "She could get us in a great deal of trouble, and she does not seem to like my nephew."

Toph shrugged. "I don't think she dislikes him," she confessed honestly. "Fan-Girl doesn't really hold grudges for anything short of making Katara cry. Actually… I bet she's trying to figure out how she can get him to teach her to bend. She's been hovering over us lately." Toph made a face. "We got in a fight where she was the only one who couldn't do anything, and she's been wringing her hands about being useless ever since."

Iroh frowned. "I'm sure she is a very competent young lady," he said kindly. "Non-benders can fight just as well as a bender may."

Toph crammed a big piece of cake in her mouth and shrugged. Iroh's poker face at her terrible manners was wasted on her. "Well, a group of earthbenders dropped us into a pit with the Earth King and were flinging rocks blindly." His eyes widened. She continued calmly, "I was really the only one who could restrain them, but Twinkletoes and Sugar Queen at least managed to protect themselves and deflect things. All she could do was dodge." She made a face. "I didn't **see** it, obviously, but the Grand Secretariat and two of our attackers ended up dead and it was pretty messy. She's been twitchy ever since."

Iroh leaned in, eyed wide. This was all new information to him. "Was it an attempt on the Earth King's life?"

"I don't know." Toph shrugged uncaringly. "They didn't exactly share a manifesto with us, and the survivors were carted off really quickly by Dai Li. But I'd guess they were there for Twinkletoes. Kuei said he'd never seen violence like that before, so attacks on his life are probably not a common occurrence."

Iroh gave her a long, assessing glance. "Who killed your attackers? You implied that you were the only one well-suited to that fight."

Toph cringed noticeably. Iroh caught it and closed his eyes sadly. "It was an accident," she said quietly. "I expected him to deflect the first move, which was herding him into what I was going to use to secure him." She shrugged helplessly. "He just didn't dodge". She cleared her throat. "The Dai Li guys showed up really quickly and one of them made the non-bender throwing things at us into mincemeat. It was over pretty quickly after that."

"I am sorry that you had to see such a harsh reality at such a young age." The older man curled his fingers tightly around his teacup. "Your skills have not been exaggerated, and your level-headedness is commendable. How are you feeling?"

Toph arranged her face into a scowl. "I'm fine. I'm not a helpless little baby."

"No, you are not," Iroh said quietly. "But you are human, and it is a very hard thing to take a life, even when by doing so you are protecting others who are dear to you. I would be surprised if you were totally unaffected. I know that when I first did so, I was many years older than you are now, and I did not find it easy to come to terms with."

Mollified, Toph relaxed and the tension left her thin body. "I keep thinking about it." Her hand twitched around her tea. "It wasn't on purpose. It's just hard to believe that I made such a big mistake like that." She frowned, "I mean, I'm supposed to be the best Earthbender in the world! I've never misread an opponent like that before. I didn't even consider that he would have a harder time moving underground than he would above. I mean, _hello_, he was an **earthbender**."

"You judged his skill level against what you could do," Iroh observed. "There is no shame in that. Having never been this man, you had no way of knowing that skills were equally developed in earthbenders. You assumed from his skill level that he would be able to do something you do with ease. You attempted to use restraint and exercised good judgment of a complicated situation where you quickly became responsible for multiple lives. Sometimes… these things are just unavoidable. You are no kami, who can account for the actions of others as well as themselves."

Toph's lips twitched into a small smile. "Don't think I haven't noticed that you got me off topic, old man," she warned. "You're pretty good at this."

Iroh gave a silly smile. "Ah, you've caught me."

"Damn right I have." Toph leaned back indolently in her chair and burped. "That was good. Anyway. You never responded when I said that Fan-Girl is probably going to try to get Sunshine to help her out. I can't believe that you don't have any thoughts on that."

"It might be good for my nephew to spend some time with a young lady his age," Iroh mused. "I do not think that he will see things this way, however."

"You might be surprised," Toph snorted. "Fan-Girl can be pretty persuasive. Blunt, but she's a pretty good planner and she can read people. If she can find something he wants, she'll make it happen so that he'll help her out. And, let's be honest." She lowered her voice. "A banished prince whose little sister is stealing his inheritance probably has a lot he wants. Revenge, maybe, his birthright, or a more comfortable lifestyle." She picked at her teeth.

Surprised, Iroh twitched. "That was a good assessment. You are not so bad at this yourself," he commented calmly.

Toph shrugged. "I was raised to be a lady. I know how these people think. When power and money are involved, people get weird."

He winced. "I like to think better of my nephew than that," he protested weakly. "He has never been overly concerned with the material."

"If he isn't concerned with the material, than he's concerned with what, the spiritual?" Toph shrugged indolently. "Or maybe he's concerned with people? Either way, there's a pretty good argument to be made that this war should be ended. It's hard on all the nations, for one. It's done some seriously weird shit to the spiritual balance of the world for another. And even if he has no care at all for the people of the Earth Kingdom, he should be worried for his own. Now that the Avatar has returned, people are going to follow him."

"I am very impressed, young lady." Iroh glanced mournfully down at his empty cup. "That was quite the assessment. It is true that I for one have noted that the Earth Kingdom has been fighting a purely defensive war for a hundred years and still holding their own. If the people were to rise up in active resistance, things might not be going as they are."

"They're done talking." Toph clinked her cup down and rooted around her clothes for change. A coin rolled off the table. "This enough for the bill?"

"Oh no, I must insist that this cup was on the house." Iroh gathered up her money and gently returned it to her. "This was a most enlightening conversation and wonderful company. Won't you two come back?"

"We probably will," Sukka said from behind him. Iroh could undoubtedly see that she looked satisfied with herself; Toph could hear it in her voice. "Come on, let's go. We've been gone a pretty long time."

Behind them, Iroh took his nephew by the elbow and steered him into the back room again.

"What are we going to do, Uncle?" Zuko hissed through closed teeth.

"Do?" Iroh smiled. "Nothing, of course. The girl will not sell us so easily. When she looks at me, she does not see a soldier or general. She sees a kindly elder, and you have not made such a poor impression that she would be willing to imprison me to spite you. She thinks that we can be of use to her- I'm sure you saw that as well. It isn't a terrible idea either."

"Uncle?"

"You are unhappy here." He held up a hand. "Do not deny it for my sake, we both know it. You will never be happy here working in my teashop. It is an exceedingly dangerous time to be between Azula and the throne. She has indicated that even when she thinks you are of little threat to her, she would prefer you dead and no threat. If you do not wish to live in hiding for the rest of your days, you must have powerful allies who can either help you to the throne or keep you safe even when Azula rules." He regarded Zuko levelly. "I will support you in whatever you choose." The solemnity was somewhat undermined when he leaned in to pat his nephew's hair and beamed merrily when Zuko made an undignified squawk and attempted to swat him away. "Besides, she has the good taste to see what a handsome young man you are! You should savor your youth. I was quite the lady-killer at your age, you know. I could give you a few pointers…"

"Why can't you ever be serious?" Zuko fumed. "I'm going to bed." He stomped away without wishing his uncle goodnight.

* * *

"You missed a meeting with the Earth King." Aang and Katara were sitting in the yard, brushing Appa and snuggling Momo respectively. He continued, "You missed a lot, actually. We helped put out a fire with waterbending this morning. And then we talked with Kuei. He's found out that Long Feng was running some huge prison under Lake Logai. We're helping keep the water back so that it's safe for people to come in and out."

"It's a huge mess," Katara added. "It looks like a lot of them were illegally imprisoned, and there aren't much records about why people are locked up." She rubbed tiredly at her eyes with the backs of her hands. With a sigh, she stretched and stood up. "We should probably get to bed, actually. We're going back in the morning. Are you coming this time?"

"Yeah, I think I am." Sukka glanced at Toph. "Actually, we ran into some interesting people today while we were out. Acquaintances that I think we should cultivate."

"Before you freak out, I checked them and they were telling the truth," Toph added.

"Why would we freak out?" Aang blinked up at them.

"Well… Remember that Fire Nation Prince who… oh yeah, you guys weren't there. Anyway, on my stay on that lovely cruise ship, I met a couple of Fire Nation nobles, one of which was the crown prince." She gave a little nervous laugh. "Funny that. Turns out they've lost their support and Zuko's little sister tried to kill him off so she'd inherit. They're hiding out here, in Ba Sing Se. As tea-makers, of all the ridiculous things."

"That is weird. You called one by his first name- 'Zuko'? Is that the one who kidnapped you? Gran-Gran said he was young." Katara frowned and crossed her arms.

"Uh yeah. It was. But he wasn't such a bad guy! He has a bit of a temper, yeah, and he isn't the very sharpest knife in the tool box. He was following orders, and he really never hurt anyone. I don't think he has the stomach for it." She turned puppy eyes at her little sister. "Don't be mad, but I _really_ want a bending teacher, and when am I ever going to have another chance? Besides, he could be really useful to us. A crown prince of the nation we're at war with- he's bound to have information, for one thing."

Katara bit her lower lip and a crease formed on her brow. "I don't know, Sukka. I don't like this. Plus you're only telling me about one person. You said there were two."

"The other one is Zuko's uncle," Toph added dryly. "Who is more commonly known throughout the Earth Kingdom as General Iroh, the Dragon of the West. He's a really famous general who almost broke the walls of Ba Sing Se years ago- until his son died and he abandoned his post. He makes a mean cup of tea, and he's a good conversationalist. He's way smarter than the other one, though. I'd watch him."

"Wow, Sukka. You meet the most interesting people." Aang shrugged. "I don't see the problem. If they're hiding from the Fire Nation too, then we don't really have any reason not to be friends with them. Maybe if they like us, they'll help us out! I'll need a firebending tutor eventually, too."

"Not for a while." Toph scrunched up her face and spat at the ground near his feet. He jumped a full foot straight into the air in surprise. She scowled. "A really long while, Twinkletoes. You've gotten past the 'move a rock' part of your training, but you have a long way to go until you could meet a sissy like The Boulder on even terms."

The water tribe girls were too busy concentrating on each other to pay attention to the byplay. "I just don't like it. Maybe you should talk it over with King Kuei," Katara reasoned. "He's a king- he should know more about how the Fire Nation works. If he thinks we can trust them, I'll go for it." She scowled a little. "That doesn't mean I've forgiven him, though, even if you have. I know it's really important that you get trained. Otherwise, there's no way that I'd go along with this."

"I appreciate that Katara." Sukka gave her little sister a one-armed hug and kissed her forehead. "I won't endanger any of us. I'm sure I have a pretty good read on both of them, and Toph's checked to be sure that they're telling the truth. They really are in hiding, just like us. All I have to do is convince them now." She momentarily frowned. "I'm not sure which one to try first. The old man is friendlier, but far more clever. Zuko has a temper, but he doesn't hide his thoughts well." She shrugged. She'd figure it out somehow.

* * *

"You meet the most interesting people." The 52nd Earth King frowned. "The Dragon of the West in my city, you say? How utterly fascinating. He's famous for a reason, you know. Even I knew he existed, though of course I was under the impression we were not at war," he added sourly.

Sukka smiled tensely, wishing he would just get on with it.

Luckily, Kuei wasn't completely hopeless. He gave a short start and cleared his throat. "I think you were right- this opens up all sorts of possibilities. It's hard to believe that the Fire Nation would give up such a resource. Of course, he was meant to be Fire Lord. Seeing the princess attempt to kill her brother for the throne must stir up all sorts of unpleasant memories. This would make a marvelous song, you know. A classic, like Golden Shan, or the Tale of a Thousand-"

"ahem." Sukka gave a tiny cough. Kuei blinked twice before he seemed to come back to the real world.

"Oh right, I was getting distracted." He strode over to his throne and sank down gracefully. "I'll allow them to hide here for now. You are right- they could be useful for us, and they certainly aren't doing any harm where they are. I will have to meet with at least the General at some point soon to set terms and see what information we can get out of him. He might know what in Oma's name is happening in my harbor," he grouched with one elbow resting on the side of the throne to support his chin.

"Sir?" Sukka frowned. "Has something changed?"

"I'll say it has. I'd say it's a blessing, if I didn't wonder what is actually going on. A Fire Nation ship with plain red sails came in late last night under cover of darkness, contacted the fleet sitting outside my city and then left. The waiting armada that I'm told has been in that harbor for months blocking off imports of food trickled out this morning." He waved a hand irritably in the direction of the ocean. "I'm sure they haven't done it just to convenience me in time to allow merchants to come in, although it does have that side effect."

"That is worrying." Sukka glanced down the hall to see where her sister and companions were waiting. "Do you think I should ask him?"

Kuei frowned. "Do you really trust him that much? In any case, I wouldn't want to depend on him for information unless we had to. Find out what he says, and we can compare it to what my men manage to gather. I have given orders for the palace attack geese to be set on those messenger birds the Fire Nation uses. Any intercepted information will make its way back here."

"Oh!" Sukka suddenly remembered something, smacking one fist into her palm. "Katara was supposed to get a hold of one of those communication birds and send it to Princess Yue at the North Pole with updates on world events."

Kuei sighed. "I'll see what I can do. By the way, you were right. I do have records of a group of refugees from Kyoshi. Apparently a group of them attempted to get an audience with me a little over a month ago." He scowled. "I saw no such request, of course."

Sukka outright _squealed_, bouncing up and down on her toes. Conversation stopped and even Aang turned to stare at her. She didn't care. "Do you know where they are now?" she demanded eagerly, leaning way too far into Kuei's personal space. He twitched backwards wide eyed, for once looking his real age (barely past twenty, not much older than her) and not at all mature and dignified.

"I'm sure I don't know," he huffed. "I'm looking into it. Tomorrow, perhaps. At least you know they made it here safely and can relax. For right now, I have more pressing concerns." Kuei grimaced and rubbed the bridge of his nose, looking pained. "I have a city full of starving refugees and irritatingly spoiled nobles who monopolize resources and have been running roughshod over the poor, an entire prison full of loyal citizens, and a semi-fanatical secret police without enough to keep them busy. I don't know whether I should tackle those problems first and worry about the war and my unprotected citizens later or put off dealing with the city."

"You have to deal with both," Sukka said sensibly. "It's a huge job, I admit it. But you can do it- though you might have to delegate. You trust your people to follow orders, right?"

"Yes," Kuei admitted warily, "but I have no way of knowing if anyone else is hiding things from me to manipulate me like Long Feng did." He closed his eyes. "What on earth was that man thinking? I wish I could ask."

"He may have meant well," Sukka offered awkwardly. "Whatever mistakes he made, he was a brave man and he died defending you. We can't get answers from the dead, so we just have to live with the uncertainty and do what we can with what we do have."

Kuei looked mildly surprised, examining her as if for the first time. "Well said." A throat cleared behind them, and Sukka glanced to see one of Kuei's generals was waiting at the entrance to the hall for an audience. Kuei gave a tiny sigh and turned his face away with no further comment, indicating that she should go with one bejeweled hand.

"Have a good day," she awkwardly wished. Sukka gracefully tip-tapped down the stairs at break-neck speed and trotted over to her companions.

"Finally," Aang groused good-naturedly with an enormous stretch, and leapt towards the door. "I'm hungry." He looked down and patted his tummy sadly. "Have you ever had frozen pudding? I've heard good things about it."

"I thought we should go to your teahouse, Sukka." Katara laced her fingers through her older sister's. "I'd like to see these people up close before I let you meet with them alone again. Besides, they might be spending time with us, so we should meet them."

"I'd be willing to go back," Toph interjected as the group walked back into the sunlight and the brightly dressed maids let the double doors shut behind them. "We can have tea and dessert there, and then go to the stand Aang wants and have a second dessert." She grinned toothily. "No one is here to make me eat vegetables!"

"Vegetables aren't so bad," Aang said practically. "But that sounds like a good idea to me. Lead the way!"

Katara rolled her eyes. "You guys are ridiculous," she said fondly. "Your teeth are all going to fall out and you're never going to get any taller. When we leave Ba Sing Se, all I'm going to buy is vegetables to make up for how you've been eating here."

Sukka lightly tugged at her sister's hair. "You're mean, Katara. Dessert is good for us! It makes us happy. What's so wrong with that?"

Their conversation stayed light while they crossed the length of the city, occasionally getting into mild tussles. At one point their walk turned into impromptu hide-and-seek, which Toph won hands-down. The others pushed her into a pile of cushions at an outdoor stand in revenge.

"We finally lost our sneaky Dai Li escort," Toph commented a few blocks away from their destination.

Sukka looked at her sharply. "We've been followed?"

Toph gave a little snort. "Well, yes. They escorted us to the palace and waited outside. I'm assuming Kuei wanted to make sure we're safe. Think on it- four kids wandering around alone look like targets, and he doesn't want any incidents. If the Avatar was to die in his city… It wouldn't be pretty. And that doesn't even account for the fact that all of our parents are pretty important and liable to raise a big mess if he doesn't look out for us."

"Don't be so depressing," Aang snapped.

There was an awkward silence.

"We're here," Sukka announced. She scuffed her toes in the dirt. "So, uh. What's the plan? I don't think we should make a big fuss about their being here- Kuei didn't want to destroy their cover."

"So we'll just go and order normally," Katara said sensibly. "Hopefully we'll see them, but we won't make a fuss if we don't." She strode to the front of the group and pushed open the door. "Seats for four, please."

"Of course, miss." A girl Sukka had never seen before bowed politely. "Welcome to the Jasmine Dragon. Follow me please."

The shop was much busier than it had been the last time she'd been there, Sukka noted. A gaggle of old men were gathered around the Pai Sho tables, a moon-eyed couple on a date were leaning over steaming cups, and a few tables of elaborately dressed middle-aged women were laughing loudly behind fans and passing around some kind of paper.

Their assigned table was reasonably far from the others, close to the door that Sukka knew led to the attached home. She cast a searching glance through the rice-paper screens, but couldn't see any shadows or movement to indicate that anyone was in there.

"The house special is our Jasmine," the hostess began with a dizzying smile. "We also have a lovely lemon and peach that pairs perfectly with the sugar teacakes made this morning. If that isn't to your liking, I would recommend the chocolate crumble with raspberry or ginseng."

"That all sounds good." Katara cast big kitten-eyes up at her sister. Sukka smiled indulgently.

"The lemon and peach with sugar cakes for me, and chocolate crumble with raspberry for my little sister." She cast Katara a quick look promising to share. "Aang, Toph?"

"Do you have berrycake?" Aang gazed up hopefully. At the hostess's nod, he beamed. "Excellent! I'd like jasmine with that."

"Jasmine tea, chocolate crumble, a jellyroll, and one of the lemon cakes with the white icing," Toph listed flatly. The woman blinked in surprise but her smile didn't flicker.

"I'll have those right out." She gave a tiny bow again and backed out.

At the stares she received, Toph scoffed. "What? I'm a growing girl."

"But we're going to get more dessert after this," Katara pointed out.

"Besides, where are you going to put it all?" Aang poked her side earnestly. "That'd be a lot of food even for Sukka, and she's way bigger than you are."

Sukka felt her eye twitch. She didn't manage to respond before a familiar voice chided, "Now now, that's no way to talk about a young lady. Either of them, in fact." Iroh smiled indulgently. "What a pleasant surprise to see you back so soon, Lady Bei Fong!" Toph grunted out a non-committal greeting. Unperturbed, he turned to greet Sukka as well. "It is lovely to see you again as well. Are these two friends of yours?" He examined the other two children momentarily, and then gave a theatrical gasp. "Oh, this must be the famous Katara!" He gave her a winning smile. "You are as lovely as your elder sister. It is quite the resemblance."

Surprised, Katara stuttered a little. "Uh, yes, I am Katara." She cast a questioning look to Sukka, who was too amused by how flustered her baby sister was to rescue her. "It's nice to meet you. This is Aang." She gestured at the last member of the group as if to use him as a shield between her and Iroh's gallantry.

"Charmed, I am sure," Iroh said gravely. "You may call me Mushi."

"Would you like to sit with us?" Toph inquired, sounding unusually social.

Iroh shook his head. "Alas, I only had time to visit briefly. This place is keeping me busy." He gestured at the restaurant. "I was hoping to speak with you again. Is there a chance you have some time in about an hour when we close for the lunch hour?"

"All of us?" Katara glanced around. "I think we can do that. How about we just hang around that long?"

"I don' think all of us need to be here," Toph objected. "I've already cleared these guys, and you're the only one who is really antsy about this. I'll take Twinkletoes and go get some training done."

"But I'd like to stay," Aang objected.

Toph elbowed him painfully. "Don't be dumb, Twinkletoes. If Katara gives the ok, you'll be meeting them plenty. If not, it won't matter."

Iroh gave them a curious look but said nothing, instead excusing himself and leaving for the kitchen again.

Pouty about not getting his frozen pudding, Aang ended up having a second treat before Toph got fed up with waiting and dragged him out. "Don't be gone too long!" He waved good-bye as Toph bull-dozed her way out to the street, the door swinging forlornly behind her. The other patrons gradually trickled out, and the hostess began to anxiously check the position of the sun, glance at their table with a wilted smile, and impatiently tap her foot. Iroh came out and spoke to her softly. She gave a real, grateful smile and practically ran out the door. The older man ushered the boy working in the kitchen out the door and locked it behind him.

"Ahhh." He gave a long, satisfied sigh. "Today is a lovely day, is it not? Would you ladies follow me to the sitting room, please?" He held open the door for them and bustled ahead to open up windows. "Nephew! We have guests!" Something hit the floor in another room. Katara looked at Sukka questioningly. Sukka just shrugged. "Please, come join us!"

The door slid open. "What?" Sukka could practically feel Katara glaring a hole in Zuko's skull. She surreptitiously stepped on her little sister's foot. Katara gave a little jump and redirected her glare to the floor. "Oh. It's you," he said flatly.

"Do not be rude, nephew." Iroh gave a mildly reproving glare.

Zuko sighed. "It's lovely to see you," he said unconvincingly.

"Don't quit your day job for the theatre," Sukka commented. She gave him a bright smile. "I am glad to see you two, however."

"Oh?" Iroh said curiously.

"Well, I talked to the Earth King today." She saw them stiffen. "He mentioned being confused that the ships in the harbor left. Apparently a red-sailed ship came in late last night, and after that they all filed out this morning." She shrugged. "I wondered if you might be able to offer a hypothesis."

"Well now, that is interesting." Iroh stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Those ships have been stationed there for years." Behind him, Zuko winced slightly and consciously didn't look at his uncle. Sukka filed the strange reaction away. Had the ships been there since Iroh had given up the siege at Ba Sing Se, perhaps? "I cannot imagine that my brother would have given up on Ba Sing Se. He must either have a higher priority or a new idea about how to go about capturing the city." He shook his head. "No, that isn't right. He would not allow Ba Sing Se time to restock supplies. Someone has overruled their standing orders and required those ships to join a larger group to present an intimidating force for a tempting target."

"A target by the sea, obviously." Sukka cast a quick look at Zuko, who sat stiffly. "Didn't you mention that man with the horrible sideburns doing something like that earlier?"

"You told her that?" Iroh asked curiously. Then he shook his head. "No matter. There is no particular reason to believe that it is Zhao this time, but such a thing would not surprise me, and he has long advocated a massive assault on the Northern Water Tribe. No one would allow such a thing, of course. But if he were promoted enough, he could do such a thing."

"Zhao is notorious for his vanity projects," Zuko said roughly. "He's arrogant. He _would_ do something so stupid and get half the Navy killed."

"He could win," Iroh cautioned. "But yes. The losses would be terrible on both sides." He frowned.

Sukka looked at Katara uncertainly, who was pale. "Are you sure about that?" Her fingers clutched tightly around the fabric of her pants where they rested on her lap. "Are you sure?"

Zuko looked uncomfortable. "We don't actually know. This is all supposition." He shrugged helplessly. "We aren't exactly getting the same information we used to."

"We'll know soon," Sukka said calmly. "Kuei is intercepting Fire Nation communications." The two Fire Nation nationals in the room gave her alarmed looks. She smiled docilely. "I did tell the Earth King about you."

Iroh's face stilled, the smile slipped away, and Zuko paled. "He's fine with you being here. Actually, he thinks you could be very useful allies. Have you thought about what I told you yesterday?" She fixed Zuko with a calm stare. At her side, Katara was looked at her with a vaguely impressed look. "If you want to go home and get your throne, we're your best options for allies. If you want to stay here and make a new life, we're your best options." She leaned in and enunciated clearly. "And if you want to minimize the death and damage on both or either side, we are your best option." She held out her hands, palms up. "We don't want to kill anyone either. The information you two have could save a lot of lies."

"You just want us to sell out the Fire Nation," Zuko spat.

She shook her head. "I'm serious. Aang is running this show, and Air Nomads are pacifists. He's been begged to end the war by putting the Fire Nation under the ocean and he's refused. You know he could do it- Kyoshi did something similar. If he wasn't willing to do that, he'd have to be a massive hypocrite not to work to minimize death in other ways." She shrugged. "There are a lot of ways to solve problems without killing people. The Earth Kingdom has been making the mistake of fighting back the way that the Fire Nation fights. The problem with them is that they aren't very imaginative and they don't change tactics unless they absolutely have to."

"The Air Nomads weren't pacifists!" Zuko rolled his eyes. "Everyone knows that."

"Really?" Katara broke in and rose an eyebrow. "The Southern Water Tribe knows that the Air Nomads were pacifists. So does the Northern Water Tribe. And Earth King Kuei knew that off-hand too."

"Don't forget Wan Shi Tong's library," Sukka added mildly. "It's confirmed there too. That's without mentioning that uh, we know the one living Air Nomad. He's a pretty good source."

Zuko frowned. "Well, they're wrong," he said firmly. "I learned that in school." Iroh looked uncomfortable.

"If three out of four nations think one thing, and yours thinks something else, why would you think everyone is are the ones lying?" Sukka raised her voice, mildly confrontational. Her tone dripped with disdain when she asked, "Can't you think of a single reason that a nation at war would tell their populace lies about the people they want killed? It's a lot easier to support going off to fight an army than it is to support sending the largest military in the world to murder every man, woman and child in their homes." She shook her head. "You're not stupid, Zuko. You can see that as well as we can. It's no fault of yours or of anyone living now, but it's still true."

"She has a point," Iroh said uneasily. "Does it really matter?" He rose his shoulders helplessly. "I think we have already discovered that there is rot in the Fire Nation." He sighed. "With men like Zhao in positions of power because we have been rewarding greed and violence, what could we expect?"

"Things have to change." Zuko drew one hand into a fist. "There's no excuse for lying to our populace like that, and…" He gave an ungainly snort. "There's certainly no excuse for promoting people like Zhao. He should be demoted to a foot soldier."

"Who wants a foot soldier like that?" Iroh muttered lowly. He mocked, "I wouldn't hire him to mulch the vegetables."

"Much less touch your precious tea," Zuko added with just a hint of humor.

"Unthinkable!" Iroh gasped. "Do not even joke of such horrid things, nephew." He gave a theatrical shudder. Katara was just staring at the two, clearly having a hard time reconciling them with the Fire Nation royalty she resented and feared for invading her village.

"They don't seem the type, do they?" Sukka muttered out of the side of her mouth. Katara slowly shook her head.

"My nephew and I have discussed your proposition," Iroh smoothly interjected, taking the conversation back into serious territory. "We believe it has merit. What sort of relationship are you proposing? A temporary alliance?"

"Yes." Sukka smiled. "I would want information, advice, for you to lend your strength when appropriate, and…" Here, she fidgeted. It was one thing to ask for things for Aang and Kuei- this last part was only for her. "And some help firebending." She bit her lower lip and tried to look impassive and not desperate at all. "For me, and probably for Aang as well when he is ready to learn it."

"Fine." Zuko stood. "We'll need an equal exchange of information, of course, and your assistance in mitigating Fire Nation fatalities, as well as putting Uncle Iroh on the throne when this is all over."

The General stilled. '_I'm guessing that wasn't part of their discussion. Uh oh..._' "My nephew," he began.

Zuko cut him off. "It should be you there, and always should have been." He said firmly. "You would never have let this happen. I agree that Azula would be a terrible Fire Lord, but who says I'd be any better? I'm not wise, I'm not particularly good at anything, and I'm far too young besides." He glared at his uncle. "I caught myself earlier thinking that I didn't understand how Azula could try to steal my birthright, but it wasn't, and it never was my birthright. It was yours."

"No point in arguing this now," Katara cut in conciliatorily. "We'll agree to put one or both of you in power when this is over. We can't pick sides- we don't know the politics like you two do. How does that sound?"

"A most satisfactory compromise," Iroh muttered, not sounding satisfied at all. "Very well then. Are you qualified to set terms for the Earth King as well? I do not mean to sound rude, my dear, but I do not believe you have specified whose authority you speak with."

"I speak for the Southern Water Tribe and for the Avatar," Sukka said firmly. "Not many people are going to want to contest the Avatar's authority. The Earth King has expressed the opinion that this agreement would be a good idea, and he will almost certainly respect the terms we have set here. Some of them were his ideas, actually."

"Will we need to meet with him soon?" Zuko paced short lines across the room like a gigantic, caged cat. Katara watched him with dark eyes.

"Probably," she said honestly. "He'll send for you when he needs you. I didn't tell him where you are, but if he asks I will." She paused. "Unless you think he might not respect our agreement and take you into custody. If that's a concern, I think you'd be better off coming with our group to meet him. No one is going to be so stupid as to try something then."

"I think you underestimate the stupidity of humanity," Zuko grumbled.

"I think you underestimate my friends." Sukka gave a fake smile. "I'm glad we had this talk." She stood up. ""I'll let you get back to your break. What time are you closed tomorrow? We can meet here and walk to the palace together."

"It isn't so late that we can't take tomorrow off." Iroh stood up. "How about the seventh bell?"

"That'll be fine," Katara brushed off her pants and let Iroh open the door for her. She gave a polite bow. "Thank you for your hospitality." Sukka echoed her bow and her words before they stepped out into the city.

* * *

"So." Kuei crossed and then uncrossed his ankles, looking uncomfortable in this throne. The doors were all closed to make the audience private, and the room was quickly becoming stifling. "I am in the presence of Fire Nation royalty, then?"

"Yes." Sukka gestured appropriately. "This is General Iroh, and this is his nephew-"

"Zuko, yes, I know." Kuei stood up and walked down the stairs of his dais to examine the two. "Hmm. I'd heard that you were young, but I must admit I expected you to be a bit older still."

The teenager bristled like a wet cat.

"Oh, don't get offended." Kuei batted at the air as if to banish the thought. "It's merely an observation that my perception was wrong. You can't be held responsible for your age." He came to a stop in front of the two and clasped his hands together, businesslike. "I trust Sukka here has dictated my terms to you?"

"Yes, your majesty," Iroh agreed politely.

"Good." He nodded his head briefly. "However, I would like to clarify to be certain. You would be agreeing to act as advisors of equal standing to any other diplomat and abide by those standards of behavior, and to act in the interests of whatever course of action we mutually agree upon, or the most people agree upon." He cast a look at Zuko. "This is understood and acceptable?"

"It is," Zuko conceded.

"Most excellent. Now, in return we will respect your advice, work to minimize Fire Nation casualties, and do what we can to ensure you two are returned to your former positions in your nobility. I won't promise to put you on the throne of a foreign power. That's beyond my ability."

The two Fire Nation royals exchanged a long, silent glance that seemed to communicate something. Sukka had no idea what. "That is most fair," Iroh eventually commented. "It seems that we have an accord."

"Excellent." Kuei strode towards the door. "With that out of the way, I feel free to tell you that we have intercepted several messages stating that various ships are being drafted to participate in an assault on the Northern Water Tribe. Katara, after our discussion I will have someone provide you with one of the captured messenger birds for your promised message. I trust you have a scent sample for it?"

"Yes, I do." Katara gave Aang a relieved smile.

_'Iroh and Zuko predicted this from almost no information… Wow, I guess they really knew what they were talking about_.' Sukka rose both eyebrows and looked at the royals consideringly. Of course, they were walking ahead of her, so she didn't get to see their expressions. She instead contented herself with the really interesting way all the muscles underneath Zuko's shirt moved while he walked. '_That is a tight shirt. I like that shirt.' _

"Where are we going?" Zuko had to walk quickly to match Kuei's longer strides.

"The war room, of course. We'll be meeting one of my generals there." The teen faltered for a moment, and Iroh looked over at his nephew reflexively. They didn't say anything, however.

The man they encountered in the War Room was an older gentleman, and a total 'yes-man'. Nonetheless, he readily knew a lot of information. They were comparing average travel speeds for Earth Nation and Fire Nation ships and trying to figure out how they could get military support to the Northern Water Tribe before Zhao's Navy arrived when a thought occurred.

"It doesn't matter. We won't be able to beat them there." The others began to protest, and she waved them off. "What's more, we don't want or need to. That would only work if we were going to engage in a traditional fight- pitting one army against each other in honorable single combat. But why would we do that? It'd be a disaster for both sides, and the Earth Nation support soldiers will be unable to use their element. Look, Zhao is attacking the Northern Water Tribe- the largest nation in the world of waterbenders surrounded by their native element. They can have complete control of the environment- we need to take advantage of that. Appa can reach the city long before the Fire Nation does and convey our plan, and the support ships can trickle in afterwards with supplies and reinforcements. Our main goal is to incapacitate, right?" She spread her arms out dramatically. "That means we'll be taking a lot of prisoners, and hopefully gaining a lot of ships. We'll have to have people to watch them, food to feed them, crews to man those ships so we can use them and a dozen other things." As she talked, she ticked off points on her fingers. Once she was done, she looked up and at the other people in the room.

Kuei merely waited for her to continue, but most of other others exchanged confused looks. (Toph was impassively looking at the floor, and Momo was licking Aang's head). She tried not to wince. '_Kuei trusts my ideas more than my friends do? Thanks, guys.'_

She didn't let on to that thought externally. Instead, she turned to Iroh. "How deep into the water does the hull of a Fire Nation ship go, on average?"

* * *

And that's the end of Book Two. Don't be too mad at me for leaving you hanging- you wouldn't be happy either if I explained everything and then were so bored you skimmed the actual fight. This chapter was a lot of setting things up for the plot to get messy, but it had to be done.


End file.
